The Will of Fire Will Live On
by BlueEyedBabyy
Summary: How would Naruto's life have turned out if the Fourth Hokage and his wife didn't die on the night of the Nine-tailed Fox's attack? Would it be filled with love? Or hate? Light? Or darkness? But where there is love and light, hate and darkness will always lurk... Rated T to be safe
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys, this is my first fanfic so please be kind ****. I'm making the beginning slightly different from the version seen in Naruto. I will explain these changes in the author's note at the end. I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I own all OC's.**

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><p>One October night, when the moon was high in the sky, a Nine-tailed Fox suddenly appeared in the Land of Fire. Its tails lashed out, smashing mountains and sending tidal waves crashing to the shores.<p>

The ninja rose up to defend their villages. They fought bravely, many were wounded, but many more lay dying or were killed by the fox's wrath.

One shinobi shouted, "Hold the attack and wait for the Yondaime Hokage!"

Another cried out anxiously, "It's getting closer! Don't let it near the village!"

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><p><em>-Meanwhile in Konohagakure-<em>

_-Hospital-_

"MINATO! GET IN HERE NOW!" A woman screamed from the labour ward. One of the nurses approached a man cowering in the corridor. He was a tall man, with spiky blond — almost golden — hair and sapphire blue eyes. He wore the official attire of a leaf village shinobi, but wore a white cloak decorated with red flames along the bottom. On the back of the cloak written, down the centre, in kanji were the words 'Yondaime Hokage'.

The nurse sweat dropped as she took in the cowering figure of their fearless leader. "Um, Hokage-sama, I think it would be wise to give your wife support right now. She needs you."

The Yondaime Hokage stood straight and scratched the back of his head nervously, "Yes, I know that, but I have a feeling that if I go into that room…I'm going to get punched through a wall."

The nurse smirked, "Don't worry, Hokage-sama, we will protect you from your wife's wrath. Now come on!" She grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the room his wife was currently occupying. As soon as he came through the door way, he was hit in the face with something rather hard. He clutched his face and groaned before bending down and lifting what had been thrown at him.

A pillow.

He stared at his wife in disbelief. She was panting heavily and her deep red hair was in tangled disarray around her head. She had thrown the pillow at him with enough force to actually hurt him. He barely remembered the fact that she was in labour with their child as she glared at him.

"You…" she growled in a menacing voice. "Minato Namikaze…!"

Minato cowered behind the nurse in terror, his eyes wide.

Then his wife exploded. "YOU DID THIS TO ME! THIS IS YOUR FAULT! I SWEAR IF I SURVIVE THIS I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, DATTEBANE!"

Minato whispered in the nurse's ear, "Now do you see why I didn't want to come in here."

"What did you say, Minato?" His wife growled once again.

Minato stepped away from the nurse and waved his hands in the air, laughing nervously, "Nothing, Kushina, nothing." _'If I'm not careful,'_ he thought, _'Kushina's going to beat me to a pulp.'_

His terrified thoughts were interrupted when Kushina suddenly screamed in pain. Forgetting everything else, he rushed to her side and clasped her hand in both of his.

The midwife looked up at them both. "I can see the head, Kushina. Just a few more pushes and it will be all over."

Minato looked into his wife's deep violet eyes lovingly. "You can do it, Kushina." She gazed back just as lovingly, all fury gone, and a look of determination settled in her eyes. She clenched her teeth as she pushed.

"That's it, Kushina," the midwife said encouragingly. "Just one more push." A scream tore from Kushina's lips.

A small cry caught the attention of everyone in the room.

The midwife looked at the couple happily. "Congratulations, a healthy baby boy."

Minato felt numb. A son, he had a son.

The midwife handed Kushina a little bundle wrapped in a blue blanket. She pulled the blanket down so as they could see their new-born son's face. Minato took in every feature of the child's face. He had unruly blonde hair, inherited, of course, from Minato. His facial features seemed more similar to Kushina's. However, on both cheeks were three black whisker-like birth marks, which both parents wondered at. Then, their son opened his eyes for the first time, so like Kushina's in shape, and sapphire met sapphire.

Kushina smiled warmly, entranced by the tiny being, "He looks exactly like you, Minato."

A warm feeling blossomed in Minato's chest and spread throughout his numb body.

'_Our son.'_

He smiled, "Well, we already know what we're going to name him. We promised Jiraiya-sensei we would."

Kushina returned the smile and gazed at their son. "Naruto," she said softly. "Yes, it feels right." She frowned, however, as she stroked each whisker on his cheek, finding them slightly raised. "Minato, what do think caused these marks?"

Minato frowned as he examined the birth marks, "I think…I think it was the influence of the Kyuubi."

Kushina looked at her husband in shock, "The Kyuubi? But I don't cage it anymore. How could it have affected him?"

The Hokage found himself lost in thought as he recalled the event which occurred seven months ago, the event which nearly changed his life.

He had been in Sunagakure, partaking in a meeting with the Kazekage, when he had received the news that his wife, who was four months pregnant at the time, had been kidnapped from the village by an unknown shinobi. Fearing for Kushina and his unborn child, he used the Hiraishin no Jutsu to transport himself to Kushina's whereabouts, having incorporated the formula into his wife's seal so he could come to her aid at all times.

When Minato had arrived on the scene — a cave hidden deep in the mountains — he discovered the shinobi who had taken Kushina standing beside her unmoving body. Right in that moment his whole world ended; he felt like he had lost his will to live. Losing his wife and his unborn child…Minato couldn't even begin describe the emotions he had felt.

The cloaked shinobi, who had kept his identity hidden with a cloak, had explained to him, mockingly, that he had extracted the Kyuubi from Kushina, sealing it elsewhere until it was needed. He had sealed the beast inside a gourd. Minato had realised that this must have been temporary; the Kyuubi would not be contained for long inside such an object, so he had come to the conclusion that this man must have been planning to use the beast at some point in the future. And so, the battle began.

It was long, and it was hard. At many points Minato believed that he would surely die. It was only due to his Hiraishin no Jutsu that it did not happen. But he had eventually gained the upper-hand. With his opponent, and himself, gravely injured, Minato had made his way to the gourd containing the Kyuubi and sealed it into a scroll. He had summoned a toad, Kōsuke, and had him take the scroll back to Konoha. He had explained what was sealed inside the scroll and ordered him to give the scroll to the Sandaime Hokage, _only _the Sandaime Hokage. Once the small toad went on his way, Minato had returned his attention to the unknown shinobi, only to find that he had disappeared. Once he had confirmed that the shinobi was truly gone, he had immediately went to Kushina's side, lifting her limp form into his arms, wiping away the blood on her mouth with a thumb. Seeing her like this, lifeless, had broken his heart

When she had opened her eyes, looking straight into his, he had been filled with an indescribable joy and relief. They had returned to the village, and it was a long time before mother and child were out of harm's way. It was a miracle Kushina had survived the extraction. If a tailed beast was extracted from its Jinchuuriki, its host would die almost instantly. The medics could only guess that it was her Uzumaki blood that had saved her, as the Uzumaki clan was known for their incredible longevity and life-force. As for the Kyuubi, Minato decided to seal it within Kushina once their child had been born and once she had regained strength from the child birth.

"Minato?"

Minato was pulled back to the present by his wife's voice. She was looking up at him with tired, but concerned, eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine, Kushina," he smiled, "I'm just happy that you and Naruto are both safe and healthy."

The couple kissed briefly, but passionately, before returning their attention to their gurgling son. Minato grinned, "Welcome to the world, Naruto Namikaze."

Just as those words left Minato's mouth, the earth shook, and a deep rumble echoed through the village. When the world was steady once more, and a crying Naruto was comforted, Minato ran to the window and gasped. "What the…?"

"Minato, what is it?" Kushina asked with concern.

It was a moment before Minato replied. "The village is under attack."

A series of gasps echoed from around the room. "Who's attacking us, Minato?" Kushina asked frantically.

Minato could barely believe what he was seeing. "I-it's the Kyuubi!"

"What?" Kushina exclaimed. "How did it break free so soon? I thought the seal would last for at least a few more months!"

Before Minato could respond, at that moment a badly wounded jounin stumbled into the room. He held on to the door frame for support. He was panting heavily and blood poured from the many wounds on his body. "Hokage-sama! We are in need of your assistance!" he shouted desperately.

"Masaaki, what's going on? Why is the Kyuubi attacking our village and why am I only being informed of this now? " Minato demanded.

Masaaki looked at the ground ashamedly. "Forgive me, my lord, we were ordered not to inform of the Kyuubi's attack."

Minato stared at the man in disbelief, but it was quickly replaced by anger. "And who gave you these orders?" he shouted.

The jounin cowered in the presence of the most powerful shinobi in the entire village. "It was the Sandaime Hokage, sir. He informed us that Kushina-sama had gone into labour and that neither of you were to be disturbed until the child was born. I believe he was worried that if you went into battle with your wife still in labour, you would end up getting yourself killed."

Minato relaxed at the jounin's words. "I'm sorry for raising my voice, forgive me."

Masaaki smiled weakly, "There is nothing to forgive, Hokage-sama."

Minato returned the smile before returning to the seriousness at hand. "Now, tell me everything that has happened so far in this battle, from the very beginning."

Masaaki filled Minato in on every detail. As he did so, the situation seemed to grow graver and graver.

Minato stroked his chin and paced back and forth once Masaaki completed his account. Kushina watched him with worried eyes, occasionally smiling warmly at or cuddling the baby in her arms. Minato finally stopped pacing. "Masaaki, are you sure there is no way of stopping the Kyuubi's attack?"

The jounin frowned sadly, "Yes, sir, we have tried everything we can think of, right down to our most powerful jutsu. Not even the Sandaime can stop it."

Kushina could see that her genius-of-a-husband had a plan, but judging by his facial features he wasn't all too thrilled about it. _'Minato, what are you thinking?'_

Minato stared at his wife seriously. "The Kyuubi — like all of the tailed beasts — is impossible to kill. The only solution I can think of is to seal within a host using the Hakke no Fūin Shiki, developed by the Uzumaki Clan."

Kushina nodded, her forehead furrowed as she thought, "Yes, I think I've heard of that sealing technique. It was developed by my clan long ago."

"The seal is made up of two Shishō Fūin combined," Minato continued. "I will leave an opening between the two seals so the Kyuubi's chakra will be able to combine with the Jinchuuriki's own chakra."

His wife looked up at him, her expression set with determination, "Very well, when do we get started with the sealing."

Minato hesitated in his response. "Kushina, I know we agreed that the Kyuubi would be resealed within you, but…after childbirth you're not strong enough to take part in the sealing process. The only solution I can think of is for the Kyuubi to be sealed within a new host, a host whose chakra coils should still be developing. This means we can only seal the fox inside a new-born human child."

Kushina blinked several times. _'But, the new Jinchuuriki has to be a member of the Uzumaki clan. Who…? ' _

Minato looked on sadly as his wife slowly processed what he was saying. Her eyes suddenly widened and she gasped. "Minato…no, you can't…"

The other people present in the room looked back and forth between the two with confusion.

Kushina's expression was suddenly filled with rage. "No! I will NOT allow you to use our son to contain the Kyuubi!"

Minato, however, remained calm, "Kushina…"

"NO MINATO! Think about this! Naruto would have a monster within him for the REST of his LIFE! I know what it's like to be a Jinchuuriki! I can't believe you even suggested it! You're supposed to protect Naruto! We can't curse him with a—"

"KUSHINA!"

Kushina fell silent, her eyes widened in disbelief. There was a tinge of anger in Minato's previously calm expression. "Kushina, it's true that I intend to seal the Kyuubi within Naruto. But no harm will come to him. The opening between the two seals will allow the Kyuubi's light chakra to be used by Naruto when he is in need of it. The Kyuubi's dark chakra will be safely sealed away by the Shishō Fūin. I know that when he is older, he will be able to fully control the fox's power." Minato smirked, and his eyes softened. "He is our son, after all."

Kushina's expression changed into one of worry. "Is there no other way?"

Minato sighed, "I'm afraid not. Kushina, your body is too weak to contain the Kyuubi at this point in time. I have considered every other possibility, but this is the only one with the highest chance of succeeding."

Kushina took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She remained that way for several minutes, occasionally holding Naruto closer to her chest.

Minato breathed a sigh of relief once she re-opened them; he was beginning to worry. Kushina stared at her husband and smiled softly. "Very well, Minato. If it's the only way to keep the village safe, and to keep our son's future intact, sealing the Kyuubi within Naruto seems to be the only option."

Minato hurried to her side and pulled her into a firm, but loving, embrace. "Don't worry, Kushina, I will keep Naruto safe. Not a single hair on his head will be harmed."

Kushina smirked, "Good. But, if you _do_ return him to me with even the tiniest of scratches," she allowed a hint of malice to flow into her voice, "I am going to knock you so far into next week you won't even know what day it is."

Minato shuddered, imagining the pain. "Of course, Kushina, I'll gladly accept the punishment if he returns with even the tiniest of scratches."

She pulled him into a deep, meaningful kiss before handing Naruto over, also pressing her lips to her forehead before doing so.

Minato gazed at the baby, his eyes wide in wonderment. Kushina stared at him curiously, "What's wrong?"

"I've just realised that this is the first time I've ever held him. He's so small." Minato grinned widely. "You're right; he does look exactly like me."

Kushina smiled lovingly at her husband. "I'm always right, have you not learned that by now? Now hurry, go, and make sure you both come home safe and sound."

Minato nodded, "We will", and made his way to the door before stopping beside the still bleeding jounin. Minato put a hand on his shoulder, "Thank you, Masaaki, for informing us of the Kyuubi's attack. Now go and tend to your wounds."

The shinobi bowed weakly. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

Minato took one more look at his wife before sprinting out the doorway, through the corridors and out of the hospital.

The village was in chaos. Civilians were running, screaming in terror. Many buildings had been completely destroyed. The shinobi were still desperately trying to prevent the beast from damaging the village any more than what it already had.

Minato looked down at the bundle in his arms to find a pair of sapphire eyes looking up at him. He smiled and stroked Naruto's cheek. "I'm sorry we're going to do this to you, son, but this is the only way." Naruto gurgled softly before reaching up and forming a tiny fist around Minato's finger. Minato froze, and then relaxed as that same warm feeling from before spread throughout his body. _'This must be what it feels like to be a father.'_ "Well, Naruto, I guess we have a job to do."

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><p>Using his Hiraishin no Jutsu, Minato arrived at the battle scene instantly. Almost immediately, he was swarmed by panicking Konoha ninja. <em>'I can't believe the Sandaime allowed it get this out of hand'<em>. "Everyone just calm down, I know of a way to stop the Kyuubi." The ninja around him fell silent in awe of what he just said. "Where is the Sandaime Hokage? I need to speak with him."

"He's planning battle strategies, Hokage-sama."

Minato nodded. "Lead me to him."

The shinobi led him to a small gathering of people. The Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was in the centre. He had donned his battle armour, which meant he was giving his all to protect the village. Minato smirked, _'He may be old, but he's still one of the strongest shinobi I know.' _"Hokage-sama!"

The Sandaime looked up, "Minato? What are you doing here? Is Kushina alright?"

"Yes, they both are." At that precise moment, Naruto gave a small cry. It was only then that everyone seemed to notice the small bundle in the Yondaime's arms. Hiruzen moved closer to get a look at the baby.

As he smiled, the skin around his eyes wrinkled, showing his age. "A little boy, I see. He is very much like you, Minato, but around his face he seems to resemble Kushina more. What is his name?"

"Meet the newest member of the Konohagakure's family, Naruto Namikaze."

"Welcome to the world, Naruto. But, Minato, why did you bring the child here, of all places?"

Minato's facial expression grew very serious. "That is what I wished to discuss with you. I plan to seal the Kyuubi within Naruto."

The ninja around them gasped in shock. Even Hiruzen was surprised. "Are you sure, Minato? I mean, sealing it away is one thing, but to seal it within your own son? I thought you would reseal it within Kushina."

"Yes, I know. But Kushina is too weak from childbirth to go through the sealing process. Sealing the Kyuubi within Naruto is the only thing that can stop it from destroying the village entirely. He will be a hero."

"I see where you're coming from. But there must be another way…"

"There is no other way. Even you must know that."

The elderly Hokage sighed. "Very well, Minato. I don't approve of this, but if it's the only way to save the village, along with the hundreds of lives in it, do what you must."

Minato bowed, making sure to keep Naruto close to his chest, "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

The Hiruzen chuckled and placed a hand on Minato's shoulder. "You forget, Minato, I am no longer Hokage. You needn't bow to me. I may still be known as the Sandaime Hokage to the villagers, but my time has passed. It is _your_ time now. You no longer need to call me using any formalities. Now go, save our village, Hokage-sama."

Minato stood straight and smiled warmly, "Thank you…Hiruzen."

* * *

><p>Using his signature jutsu, Minato flashed into existence about three miles from where the Kyuubi was situated. He stared in awe at the terror before him.<p>

Its dark orange fur was standing on end and was shifting and shimmering in the moonlight as it moved, making the fox appear to be on fire. Each of its nine tails lashed out in different directions. The demonic chakra it was emitting was so powerful that Minato was struggling to keep up on his feet. He winced as he saw one of the tails striking a group of Konoha shinobi. "I have to finish this, and soon." He bit his thumb, drawing blood, and made several hand signs. "_Kuchiyose no Jutsu_!" he shouted as he slammed his palm to the ground.

A cloud of smoke appeared.

As it cleared, an enormous toad was revealed. On its head, red markings swirled on its brown skin. There were also red markings around its lips and around its eyes. On its arms and legs, the red marks covered half of each limb. There was a long, old scar down his left eye. The toad wore a blue jacket with kanji lettering on the back inside a red circle. A katana was strapped to its side and there was a large pipe in its mouth.

On top of the toad's head stood Minato. He was attempting to comfort a crying Naruto, eventually succeeding.

Suddenly, the toad spoke. "Eh, what am I doing here? Minato, why have you summoned me here?"

"Gamabunta, I need your help in this battle."

"Hmm? What battle?"

"The battle hasn't begun yet. I need your help to fight _him_." Minato pointed in the Kyuubi's direction. It was only then that Gamabunta noticed the raging fox demon.

"The Kyuubi, eh? What do you hope to accomplish by fighting him Minato? You know that the tailed beasts cannot be killed."

"That's why I'm going to seal it within the body of a newborn baby."

Gamabunta laughed. "And where exactly do you plan to find one of those on such short notice, hmm?"

Minato sighed. "Kushina gave birth tonight. I am going to seal the fox in our son."

"Hmm, I see…"

"Will you help me, Gamabunta?"

"…Very well. Just tell me what I have to do."

Minato smiled, releasing a breath he had been holding in. "Thank you. I'm going to need you to get us close enough so I can perform the jutsu. Do you think you can do it?"

Gamabunta snorted, "Think? Do you have any idea who you're talking to, boy? I _know _I can do it."

"That's the spirit. Now try and get his attention."

"It will be my pleasure." Gamabunta drew his sword. He drew in a deep breath and yelled, "HEY, FURBALL!"

The Kyuubi's head swivelled around to glare at the toad.

Gamabunta held his sword at the ready. "If you want a fight, then come and get it!"

The beast snarled viciously and lunged towards Gamabunta. Gamabunta braced himself while Minato turned his back to the fox and covered Naruto with his own body.

It crashed into Gamabunta, sending him back several kilometres before lunging at him once more, fangs bared. Minato struggled to keep his footing. "Gamabunta! Try and grab him! Keep him in place while I perform the jutsu!"

Gamabunta grunted in pain as the Kyuubi repeatedly bit into his arms and shoulders. "That's easier said than done, Minato!"

The crazed demon struck Gamabunta across the chest with two of its tails, sending him crashing to the ground.

Gamabunta hit the ground hard. He could swear he felt a few of his ribs crack from the force of the impact. He sat up and held his side. "Minato? Are you and the child alright?"

Minato winced as he stood from his kneeling position. He had been struck with debris when Gamabunta had hit the ground. He glanced down at Naruto. It was a wonder the baby wasn't crying. Luckily, he was unharmed. "We're fine, Gamabunta."

"I didn't know that damn fox was so strong!"

"Well, out of all the tailed beasts, the Kyuubi is supposed to be the strongest of all nine."

Minato felt Gamabunta suddenly stiffen beneath him.

"Minato…what on earth is that fox doing?"

Minato looked at the demon, confused. The Kyuubi was gathering chakra at an enormous rate. Each of its nine tails was pointing towards its open mouth, where a ball of what appeared to be pure chakra was forming.

"Minato, is that…chakra?"

"I believe so, but it is unlike any chakra I have ever felt."

It was true. This chakra felt sinister, malevolent, and simply…_evil. _What was more, the chakra being gathered was black and white, which wasn't normal.

Minato and Gamabunta looked on warily as the ball became solid and as black as night.

Minato's eyes widened as it dawned upon him what the technique was. "Oh no," he whispered.

Gamabunta shifted nervously. "What is it?"

Minato gulped, "It's called the Bijuudama. It is the most powerful and destructive technique out of all the powers of the tailed beasts. I've never seen it in action, but I have heard and read about it. I even based my Rasengan off of it."

"How powerful is it, exactly?"

"Well, long story short, there will be very little left of us if it hits us directly."

At that precise moment, the ball shrank and was swallowed by the Kyuubi. Minato immediately knew what was going to happen and exclaimed, "Gamabunta, move!"

The Kyuubi released the technique in a great beam of light. It shot towards them at lightning speed, reducing everything in its path to dust.

Just before it reached them, Gamabunta leapt into the air. He could feel the heat from the blast on the soles of his feet.

Whilst they were still airborne, Minato wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead. "That was a bit too close for comfort, don't you agree, Gamabunta?"

"Indeed."

Minato looked down at the Kyuubi. It was panting heavily and its legs were trembling. Minato's eyebrows met as he frowned in concentration. _'It would seem that last attack took a lot out of him. Maybe this is our chance!' _"Gamabunta, I want you to land on the Kyuubi!"

Gamabunta looked up at Minato, questioning his sanity. "Minato, it's too risky."

"Look at him, Gamabunta! That last attack weakened him. This may be our only chance."

"Very well, but if this goes badly, I blame you."

Gamabunta dove towards the tailed beast.

A black shadow engulfed the Kyuubi. It looked up just as the toad collided with it. A cloud of dust surrounded the two creatures, obscuring them completely.

As the smoke cleared, Gamabunta was seen to have the furious creature in a headlock. It snarled menacingly, baring all of its teeth. Its eyes were blazing as it growled, "You filthy toad, release me! I will rip you to pieces!"

"Shut it, furball!" Gamabunta hit the fox with the hilt of his sword, leaving it slightly dazed. Gamabunta then grabbed the Kyuubi around the torso and placed the blade of his sword against its neck. The Chief Toad struggled to keep the Nine-tails in place as it was fighting with all of its strength to get free. "Minato, hurry it up! I can't hold on to him much longer!"

Minato knelt before performing another summoning. "_Kuchiyose no Jutsu_!" In the centre of Gamabunta's head, a ceremonial throne appeared. Around the throne were several lit candles. Minato placed Naruto carefully in the centre of the throne.

The Kyuubi glared at Minato. Minato shivered as he looked into the fox's deep red eyes. Simply looking into those vibrant red irises would strike fear into the heart of any man. "You cannot do this to me!" the fox growled. "I know what you are doing, Yondaime Hokage. I refuse to be sealed within that _child_!"

Minato ignored the Kyuubi, and instead stared deeply into its eyes. In the fox's eyes, there were three black tomoe around the pupil, which should have been a slit instead of a circle. _'It looks exactly like the Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai, the Sharingan. Could this mean an Uchiha is controlling the Kyuubi? If so, how could they have found the gourd?' _

Minato shook his head, immediately dismissing the idea. _'No, the only Uchiha who had the power to control the Kyuubi was Madara Uchiha and he disappeared long ago.'_

Minato's eyes widened in sudden realisation. _'Wait a minute…'_

_-Flashback-_

Minato stared in shock at the severely injured ANBU kneeling before him. "What? Is this true?"

The ANBU nodded. As he did so, several small pieces of his cracked cat mask fell. "Yes, sir, my entire squad was defeated by one shinobi. I'm the only survivor."

Minato leaned back in his chair and gripped the edges of his desk tightly. _'There were fifteen ANBU Black Ops on that Squad. Some of our best shinobi were on it.' _"Do you have any idea who the shinobi was? Or what village he was from?"

The ANBU hesitated. "Well, sir, I have reason to believe that the shinobi who attacked us was of the Uchiha Clan."

"What! Are you certain of this?" Minato exclaimed.

"Yes, sir, he possessed the Sharingan. But something wasn't right about him."

"Oh? How so?"

"I…I actually don't know how to describe it, Hokage-sama. He had an air of power about him. Like nothing I have ever felt before. Also, his Sharingan wasn't an ordinary Sharingan."

Minato stared at the shinobi before him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I believe his Sharingan was of a higher level than the ordinary Sharingan. I believe the Uchiha Clan calls it the Mangekyō Sharingan."

Minato's eyes widened in disbelief. "The Mangekyō Sharingan? That's not possible. The only members of the Uchiha Clan who ever possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan were the two brothers Madara and Izuna Uchiha. Izuna was killed in battle, and Madara disappeared many years ago." Minato frowned, _'Could it be? Could Madara Uchiha, the remaining brother, still be alive after all these years?'_

_-End Flashback-_

Minato clenched his teeth. _'There's little doubt about it now. Madara Uchiha must be behind all of this.'_

Gamabunta grunted, "Minato, pick up the pace!"

"Yes, sorry." He made several hand signs. "_Hakke no Fūin Shiki_!"

A bright light began to emanate from the throne.

The Kyuubi glared at Minato in horror. "No!" it howled.

The light grew brighter and brighter until it completely engulfed everything in sight.

Back on the battlefield, every shinobi still standing shielded theirs eyes to prevent themselves from being blinded by the light.

Then, as quickly as it appeared, the light receded. It disappeared into the glowing seal on Naruto's stomach.

The glow faded, leaving the seal; a black swirl with markings above and below it.

The Kyuubi had disappeared.

Minato was panting and sweating heavily. _'That jutsu took a lot more chakra than I thought it would. Oh Kami, I hope it worked.'_

Naruto was bawling loudly. His tiny fists were clenched and tears ran down his cheeks in small streams. The seal, just like the light, faded into Naruto's skin.

Minato reached over and lifted the baby. "It's okay, Naruto. It's all over, son." He sat down and laid Naruto on his lap. He stroked his cheeks, to comfort him, and Naruto's tears soon ceased.

"Is the child alright, Minato?" Gamabunta asked, albeit a bit breathless from the battle.

"Yes, he's perfectly fine. Thank you, Gamabunta, for your assistance. I will forever be in your debt."

"Don't mention it. It was my first challenging battle in a while, and I must say I enjoyed beating up that furball."

Minato chuckled in response. "I should really be getting back to the hospital; Kushina will most likely be worried sick. If I linger here with Naruto any longer than necessary, she will most likely be very…upset."

"That girl is the only person in the world you're afraid of, I think."

"Yes, you've got that right. But most times, she's the kindest and most caring woman I know."

"Then shouldn't you be getting back to her?" The great toad stated matter-of-factly.

"Yes I should, and thank you once again, Gamabunta, for helping me."

Minato suddenly got the feeling he was being watched. He looked down at the forest below, but could not see anything he would deem as suspicious.

At the exact same time, Minato used his Hiraishin no Jutsu to teleport himself back to the hospital, and the Chief Toad disappeared with a 'poof'.

* * *

><p>Back at the battlefield, Konoha's shinobi and kunoichi were rejoicing.<p>

"He did it! The Yondaime saved us!"

"I never doubted him for a second!"

"He defeated the Kyuubi! He truly is the strongest Hokage who ever lived!"

"Konoha's Yellow Flash did it!"

The Third Hokage smiled. _'I knew you could do it, Minato. You truly are worthy of the title Hokage.'_

* * *

><p><em>-The Hospital-<em>

Kushina was lying in her hospital bed, wringing her hands in worry. _'Where are they? Please, Kami-sama, let them be alright.'_

The midwives kept a close eye on Kushina. One of them sighed. "Kushina-sama, you should try not to worry. It's not good for you, especially so soon after childbirth—"

"Shut up!"

The midwife winced. Kushina glared at her, her eyes blazing. "Don't tell me not to worry! My baby and my husband are out there somewhere! For all I know they could be hurt or…or…"

Each woman suddenly screamed as a bright yellow flash appeared in the hospital room. Kushina's eyes widened. "Minato…?"

A somewhat beaten Minato was standing in the centre of the room. There was a long silence, only Minato's heavy breathing broke it.

He looked up and smiled, "We did it. The Kyuubi has been successfully sealed."

Kushina leapt from the bed, ignoring the sharp pangs of pain, and ran into her husband's arms. Tears streamed down her face as she buried her head into his shoulder. "Don't you _ever _do that to me again!"

Minato stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head softly. "It's okay, Kushina, it's okay. We're both fine."

"Naruto…let me hold him."

Minato handed her the small bundle in his arms. She smiled as she looked down at the sleeping baby. "Thank goodness you're both unharmed." Moving to hold Naruto in one arm she pulled Minato down and pressed her lips against his.

They were interrupted by someone coughing suggestively and broke apart to see the Sandaime standing in the doorway.

He smirked, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Minato chuckled and rubbed the back of his head while Kushina looked away, her cheeks pink in colour. "No, not at all, Hiruzen."

"Good, there is something I wish to speak with you about, Minato."

"Yes, what is it?"

"It concerns the Kyuubi, and young Naruto."

Kushina stiffened slightly as Naruto's name was mentioned and Minato's expression became completely neutral. "Go on."

"As I am sure you are aware, many of our ninja and the villagers know that Naruto is now the container of the Kyuubi."

"Yes, I am aware of that."

"Then I am sure you also know that other Jinchuuriki who have ever lived, regardless of any title they may have had, were treated badly by the people of their villages, as I am sure you may know, Kushina. I am concerned that this may also happen to Naruto."

Minato sighed and closed his eyes. "As am I, Hiruzen. But I am hoping that everyone will see Naruto as a hero, not as the monster that is sealed within him."

"That is what I have come here to talk to you about, Minato. Our generations may know of what is sealed within Naruto, but Naruto's generation does not. In my opinion, I believe we should make a law that prohibits anyone from informing the next generation that the Kyuubi sealed within Naruto, so as he can have a shot at having a normal childhood, without children his own age judging him."

Minato rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his eyes still closed. It was several minutes before he opened them. "Very well, I will make this law, but I will also forbid anyone from telling Naruto what is sealed within him. I think, once he is old enough, Kushina and I should be the ones to tell him. It would be better if he heard it coming from us than anyone else."

Hiruzen nodded, "A wise decision. Well, now that I have said what I wanted to say, I shall leave you to finish what you were…uh…doing."

"Hiruzen, wait."

The elderly Hokage paused and looked at Minato questionably.

Minato's eyebrows knitted together as he frowned. "There is something I wish to discuss with you. Not now, but later. It concerns…the past."

"Very well, I shall meet you in the Hokage's office in an hour."

As the Hiruzen left, Minato wrapped his arm around Kushina's waist and pulled her close. "What if Hiruzen's right, Kushina? What if the villagers hate Naruto because of what's sealed within him? I will never forgive myself."

"Hopefully it won't come to that. Our boy will be strong, just like his father."

"And his mother."

Kushina smiled at that. "Maybe so."

They both looked down at their sleeping son's face. Minato smiled warmly. "I think our Naruto will have a hard future ahead of him, but I also think it will all turn out right in the end."

* * *

><p><strong>Hopefully this first chapter wasn't too bad <strong>** Yes, in my story Kushina survived the extraction process; I wanted her to continue being the previous Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi without dying for this story. I also thought I'd mix it up a little, having the Kyubbi extracted earlier, and having it sealed inside a gourd temporarily until Kushina regained strength. Hopefully you guys will have liked how I did this. If not, that's okay.**

**Now, the sealing jutsu Minato used, I know it may not have seemed very powerful or accurate enough, as the Fox's dark chakra was sealed inside of Minato using the Dead Demon Seal in the manga, but since I wanted Minato to be alive in this story, I thought that I would leave out that jutsu completely as it would have taken his life. **

**Anyway, I hope you guys liked it. I will upload the next chapter as soon as I can. **

**Thanks!**

**BlueEyedBabyy**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! **

**Sorry it took me so long to update. Hope you like this chapter :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I own all OC's.**

* * *

><p><em>-Six Years Pass-<em>

A young boy held tightly onto the hand of a woman with deep red hair that reached down to her calves as they walked through the Village of Konoha. He wore a white t-shirt with an orange swirl on it and a pair of blue shorts. He looked around at the villagers nervously with his sapphire blue eyes. Many of them were glaring at him and whispering things to each other. His blonde spiky hair covered his eyes as he looked down at the blue sandals on his feet.

He moved closer to the woman's side. "Kaa-chan," the boy said, tugging at the woman's hand, "why do the villagers hate me? They all love Tou-chan, but they hate me. I know they do. Why?"

The woman looked down at her son sadly before answering his question. "I don't know, Naruto. But I'm sure they don't hate you."

Naruto continued to look down at his feet, "But they're looking at me as if I'm some sort of monster."

Kushina gave one of her most fearsome glares to each person who looked at Naruto in any way that was unkind or hateful. "Just ignore them, sweetheart."

Just as they were passing the park, Kushina stopped and knelt in front of Naruto. "Now, Naruto, what has your father and I always told you?"

Naruto tilted his head to the side as he thought. He then grinned widely as he said, "Always eat my green vegetables because they will help me become a strong shinobi when I start the academy."

Kushina chuckled in amusement. "No, Naruto, not that one. Your father and I have always told you to ignore what other people think of you."

Naruto frowned, "Oh, that one."

Kushina smiled and ruffled her son's hair playfully. "But that other one is just as important. Now, go and play in the park, sweetheart, and I'll be back in a few minutes. Stay there until I come back."

Naruto grinned widely, "Okay, Kaa-chan."

Naruto made his way towards a swing set and sat down. He swung back and forth happily. "Kaa-chan's right. I shouldn't care what other people think, and I won't." It still bothered him, though. For as long as he could remember, the villagers had never liked him. He was always receiving hate-filled glares from them. But he never knew _why _exactly. His father was the Yondaime Hokage. Everyone in the village loved him because he defeated the Kyuubi which had nearly destroyed the village the night Naruto was born. But Naruto himself didn't have that luxury, despite the fact that he was the Yondaime's son. Once, some of the villagers had even gone as far as to beat him.

Naruto winced as the memory came back to him. His tou-chan, of course, had been furious. Naruto had never seen him so angry. And his kaa-chan…

The blond smirked. The villagers that had attacked him had to face the wrath of Konoha's Red Hot-Blooded Habanero. Not one of them was left unharmed. Ever since, not a single villager dared to approach or harm him.

Suddenly, Naruto's thoughts were interrupted as he heard a commotion towards the edge of the park. He looked over to see a group of boys, maybe a few years older than him, standing together. They were pointing at something and were shouting and laughing. Naruto's eyebrows knitted together as he frowned, allowing his resemblance to Minato stand out even more. _'What's going on?' _he thought.

He made his way towards the group cautiously. He had already had a run in with a group of boys before, and he didn't come out of it without a few cuts and bruises. He strained to see what all of the commotion was about.

A young girl, maybe around same age as Naruto, was sitting before the boys. Her knees were drawn up to her chest and Naruto could see that she was crying. Her short, pink hair had fallen around her face, hiding most of her features.

Naruto got ever closer, standing just a few feet away, and he could now hear what it was the boys were shouting.

"Forehead! Forehead! Forehead!"

"Look at the size of that thing! That's not normal!"

"Yeah, that's because she's a freak! I mean come on, who else in the village has pink hair and a _huge _forehead?"

"Yeah, you freak!"

"Freak! Freak! Freak!"

Naruto glared at the boys in disbelief. _'A freak? No one deserves to be called that.' _"Hey!" He ran forward and stood in front of the girl in a fighting stance his father taught him. "Leave her alone!"

One of the boys grinned menacingly. "Oh yeah? Why should we?"

"Just because someone's different doesn't mean they're a freak, dattebayo!"

The boy folded his arms. "Hey guys, I think this kid needs to be taught a lesson." The rest of the group laughed and muttered in a way that made Naruto's stomach flip nervously.

The boy who acted as spokesperson for the group pulled back his fist. Naruto braced himself. The boy threw his fist forward.

"Wait!"

The boy paused just before his fist connected with Naruto's jaw. He glared at the boy who had spoken out. "What is it, Haru?"

"Kunio, don't you know who this kid is?" Haru asked nervously.

"He's just a kid who thinks he can mess with us!"

"He's the son of the Yondaime!"

The rest of the group stared at Naruto almost fearfully.

Kunio snorted, "So he's the one everyone talks about. Hah, who cares? I'm still gonna beat him up!"

The other boys looked at each other nervously. Then they turned and ran.

Kunio shouted after them, "Hey! Get back here you cowards!"

Naruto tensed as the boy turned back to him. "Fine," he said, "I don't need them. I can take care of you myself."

The six-year-old smiled slightly and chuckled.

Kunio frowned, "What's so funny? I'm about to beat you to a pulp and you're just standing there, laughing."

"I'm laughing because now you're the only one left; this is gonna be easy." Naruto attempted to remember a simple taijutsu move his father taught him. Though he knew he seemed confident on the outside, on the inside his heart was pounding and his stomach was doing backflips. _'I hope this doesn't end badly.'_

Kunio growled, raised his fist and threw it forward.

Just before his fist connected with Naruto's jaw, Naruto ducked down. Because of this Kunio was thrown off balance. While the older boy tried to regain his balance, Naruto punched him in the stomach, winding him, before sweeping his legs out from beneath him in a circular motion, causing Kunio to fall flat on his back.

Naruto stood and glared down at the boy. "Get out of here," he said. "And if you or your friends come near this girl again, you'll regret it." However, he had no idea how to carry out that threat as he didn't know any other taijutsu. He just hoped that his minor threat would work.

It seemed like it did, as Kunio got to his feet and ran, leaving the park, holding his stomach tightly.

Naruto relaxed his stance and released the breath he had been holding in. _'I hope he doesn't come back. I wonder what Tou-chan would have thought if he saw me do that?'_

He heard a small whimper and turned to look at the girl. She was still sitting on the ground, but she had stopped crying. Instead, she was staring at Naruto in shock. For the first time, he could actually see what she looked like. Her skin was fair and her forehead was obscured by pink bangs. She wore a navy long sleeved top with three slits along each arm, beige three-quarter length trousers, and dark red sandals. But the first thing Naruto noticed was her bright, jade green eyes.

Naruto's tanned cheeks grew a slight pink tinge. _'She's…cute', _he thought.

He knelt in front of her. The girl cowered slightly as he did so. Naruto smiled. "It's okay," he said, "I'm not gonna hurt you." When there was still no reaction from her, he pointed to himself and said, "My name's Naruto. What's yours?"

The girl hesitated for a moment, and then brought her knees down from her chin. She sniffed before answering quietly, "Sakura."

Naruto grinned, "Sakura, huh? That's a nice name. Sakura, uh, why were those boys picking on you?"

Sakura sighed and pulled her knees back up to her chin. It seemed as if she was going to start crying again. "They were picking on me because I have a big forehead."

"Oh, is that why you cover it with your hair?"

She nodded, and then gasped as Naruto suddenly reached forward and moved her bangs away from her forehead. He stared at it with so much intensity that Sakura became paranoid.

Naruto then smiled and said to her kindly, "I don't see what the big deal is. Your forehead is big, but it's actually kind of cute." He blushed as he said this. "You shouldn't cover it with your hair, Sakura-chan."

Sakura blushed madly and blinked several times at what Naruto had just said. _'My forehead's cute?'_

Naruto suddenly grinned widely and asked excitedly, "Hey, do you want to be my friend?"

Sakura stared at him in disbelief, "Why do you want me to be you friend? You heard what those boys were saying." Her expression changed to one of sadness. "I'm a freak."

Naruto frowned, "First of all, you're not a freak. And second, I want you to be my friend because I don't really have any friends, and," he blushed an even darker red than before and scratched the back of his head, "I like you. You seem really nice."

Sakura smiled at that, "I like you too. But before we become friends, we should find out a bit more about each other."

Naruto tilted his head to the side curiously, "How do we do that?"

"We should tell each other a bit about ourselves."

Naruto smiled, "Okay! I'll start. My name's Naruto Namikaze. I'm six-years-old. My kaa-chan is one of the top kunoichi in the village and my tou-chan is the Yondaime Hokage. I'm starting the Ninja Academy next week and I want to try and become an even stronger shinobi than my dad. Oh, and my dream is to be the next Hokage, dattebayo!"

Sakura stared at Naruto in shock. "Your tou-chan's the Yondaime Hokage?"

Naruto laughed, "Yeah, he is. Now come on, it's your turn now."

"Oh, right. Well, um, my name's Sakura Haruno. I'm six-years-old. My kaa-san isn't a kunoichi, but my tou-chan was a shinobi. He was killed when he was on a mission two years ago. I'm starting the Ninja Academy next week and I want to be a strong kunoichi."

Naruto's whole expression saddened. "I'm sorry about your tou-chan."

Sakura sighed in response, "No, it's okay, but I do miss him a lot."

There was a minute of complete silence before suddenly something seemed to dawn on Naruto. "Hey," he said, "did you just say you were starting the Ninja Academy next week?"

"Yeah."

Naruto grinned, if possible, even wider than before. "Yes! That means we'll probably be in the same class."

Sakura laughed shyly, "I suppose so. Um, Naruto, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What are those things on your cheeks?" She stared at the whisker-like birth marks curiously.

Naruto wasn't expecting that. He rubbed the whisker marks on his cheeks. "You mean these? They're just birth marks. Kaa-chan calls them my whiskers."

A familiar voice suddenly called out Naruto's name. "Naruto?"

Naruto turned to see Kushina walking towards them. "Hey, Kaa-chan," he said with a smile.

Kushina looked at her son with curiosity, noticing a slight pink tinge to his cheeks. She then saw the young girl sitting down next to him. She looked back and forth between them before smiling softly. "Now, what's going on here?"

Naruto noticed that Sakura was staring at Kushina with wide eyes. "Sakura-chan, this is my kaa-chan. Kaa-chan, this is Sakura Haruno."

Kushina gave Sakura a soft smile, "It's nice to meet you, Sakura."

Sakura stood abruptly and gave an awkward bow. "It's nice to meet you too, uh, Kushina-sama."

Kushina laughed and knelt on the ground before her. "Just call me Kushina, Sakura. Now tell me, what happened? I know _something_ happened, I can tell by the look on Naruto's face."

Sakura hesitated before proceeding to tell Kushina everything that had happened.

At the end, Kushina gave Naruto a stern look. "Naruto, what have I told you about fighting?"

Naruto's face fell and he looked down at his sandals, mumbling something that sounded like, "I only wanted to help."

Kushina simply sighed and smiled softly. "You're becoming more and more like your father every day," she said. "I'm not mad at you. I just hope you know only to use any taijutsu skills you learn for self-defence only. That is until you graduate the academy and become a genin. Then you can go on missions and kick some ninja butt."

The two six-year-olds laughed at Kushina's words. Kushina looked carefully at Sakura. _'Sakura, huh? She looks a lot like…'_

Kushina smiled and asked her, "Sakura, would you like to come back to ours for dinner?"

Sakura shook her head, "I can't. My kaa-chan will probably be waiting for me back home. But thank you for asking, Kushina-san."

"No need to thank me, anything for a friend of Naruto's." She turned to her son, "Naruto, say bye to your friend, your father will be home soon with Akari and I still have to make dinner."

Naruto nodded and turned to Sakura, smiling widely, "Hey, Sakura-chan, is it okay if we could play tomorrow?"

Sakura returned the smile and nodded.

"Okay, we can meet here at the park." As Naruto was walking away, he turned and waved, shouting at the top of his voice, "Bye, Sakura-chan!"

* * *

><p>Even as Kushina and Naruto neared the Namikaze Compound, Naruto still wore a large grin on his face and his cheeks remained a slight shade of pink. Kushina smiled fondly at her son. It was only very rarely he smiled like that. <em>'Usually he only smiles like that when he is around Minato and me, but maybe a friend is just what he needs.'<em> The faces of the villagers flashed through her mind as she frowned. _'It's no wonder he doesn't smile as often as a child should. He's had a tough life so far. There are more villagers who are afraid of him than those who actually hate him. We had never realised how serious it was until that night…'_

_-Flashback-_

_-3 Months Ago-_

Kushina set about making a start on the dinner as she waited for her husband to return home from work. Minato had told her that he may be late in coming home tonight as he was awaiting the return of a team of chuunin he had sent on a B-rank mission a few weeks ago. Kushina attempted to remember the last time she had been given a mission. Since Naruto was born, she had taken on fewer missions in order to take care of him. She didn't mind, she would do anything, give up anything, for the good of her little boy. It was also rewarding to see him do monumental things, such as take his first steps, say his first words, things she otherwise would not have witnessed had she been on a mission. Since she and Minato had their second child, a daughter, this had become even more the case. But it was in her nature to become restless if she wasn't doing something which would help exercise her skills as a kunoichi, namely missions and such. Maybe when Minato returned she could ask him if he could give her a mission, maybe a C-rank, something that wouldn't take her too far from home.

She smiled at the thought of the three most precious people in her life. Minato would come home, and Naruto would be with him, of course, as he had left a while ago to meet him, and her little four-year-old, Akari, was upstairs sleeping. She laughed, thinking of Naruto, '_That boy, he's so determined to become as strong as Minato, he even persuades him to try and teach him some taijutsu techniques nearly every night before he comes home.'_

As if right on queue, Kushina heard the garden gate open and close. She heard Minato's tired sigh as he opened the front door. "Kushina?" he called out.

She met him in the hallway of their home, embracing him and giving him a quick kiss on the lips. "Welcome home," she said, smiling. She looked towards the door, expecting her son to charge at her as soon as he came through the door, but Naruto was nowhere to be seen. "Minato, where's Naruto?" she asked.

Minato stared at her in confusion, "Isn't he here with you?"

Kushina shook her head quickly, "No, he left about an hour ago to go see you."

Minato's eyebrows came together as he frowned, "The last time I saw Naruto was this morning before I left for the Hokage Tower."

A pit formed in Kushina's stomach. "Oh no, what if something has happened to him?"

"Don't worry, Kushina, we're going to find him."

"Akari…she's upstairs sleeping."

"Don't worry, there are ANBU watching the house, she'll be fine." Kushina nodded and followed Minato as he left the house hurriedly.

They both ran across the tops of the houses, jumping from roof to roof. It was the easiest and fastest way to get around the village for a ninja. As they passed the streets, they noticed that there were very little villagers out, which was unusual as at this time of the night everyone was usually going out to dinners or parties.

Kushina looked around her in desperation, searching for her son. _'Where is he?'_

She suddenly spotted several villagers running in the same direction hurriedly. Without informing Minato of her intentions she followed them.

Kushina followed them for several streets until she saw a large mass of people._ 'What on earth is going on?' _she thought.

She made her way closer to the crowd, By the way the villagers were shouting, there appeared to be a fight. Kushina sighed exasperatedly, "Why did they choose now to start a fight? I need to look for Naruto, but I need to intervene here before someone is seriously hurt."

She shoved her way through the throng of people in an attempt to get to the centre. "Hey! What's going on here?" she shouted. Kushina was known for her temper, so once the villagers watching the fight became aware of her presence, they quickly parted to let her pass. However, the men actually involved in the fight ignored her. Kushina stood at the front of the crowd in an attempt to see who was involved. It appeared to be four men against one. She couldn't see the one that was losing as whoever he was, was on the ground, obscured by the legs and arms of the four men as they viciously kicked and punched him. They had malicious smiles on their faces as they did this.

"Demon! We'll make you wish you were never born!"

"That's right, you freak!"

"We'll kill you! Just beating you up isn't punishment enough!"

Kushina heard a small whimper emerge from within the centre of the group of men. Her eyes widened. _'No way, is that…?' _Her fears were confirmed when she caught a glimpse of blonde, spiky hair.

Her hands balled into fists; she clenched them so hard that her knuckles turned white. Anger bubbled inside her as her body began to tremble with rage.

She spoke in a dark, malevolent voice, "How dare you…"

The men stopped the beating and turned to stare at the angry kunoichi.

They froze with fear and gasped as she gave them a terrifying glare that seemed to almost burn into their very souls.

"HOW DARE YOU HURT MY SON!" Kushina roared, running towards the men, who cowered before the raging woman in terror.

Kushina made sure the men got what was coming to them.

She glared at the severely bruised and bloodied men once she was through with them. From behind her, she heard a small, weak voice. "Kaa-chan?"

"Naruto!" She ran to her son and gasped as she saw the full extent of his injuries.

His face was swollen and bruised, blood trickled down from his mouth and nose. There was a cut above his right eye and his clothes were torn and dirtied.

Angry tears streamed down Kushina's face. _'How could anyone do this? He's a child!'_

"Kushina!"

Kushina turned to see Minato jump down from a roof. He looked at the four beaten men on the ground curiously before looking at Kushina. "What happened here?"

Instead of answering him, Kushina bent down and carefully lifted the now unconscious Naruto into her arms. She turned back to Minato and said, "I stopped them from killing our son."

Minato stared at Naruto in shock before making his way slowly forward. "Naruto?" He moved Naruto's hair away from his face gently. After a moment he looked up at Kushina and she gasped a little when she saw something in Minato's sapphire eyes she had never seen before.

Pure rage.

"Kushina, please, tell me what happened," Minato said quietly. Kushina then began to fill him in on all of the details of what she had seen.

When she had finished, Minato turned and glared at the men on the ground and the still watching crowd. "How dare you harm my son," he said to the men on the ground, who looked away fearfully. Minato then looked to the crowd. "And all of you, you're just as bad as them! You all stood and watched as these men brutally beat a six-year-old boy! And what did you do to help him…NOTHING!"

The crowd cowered in the presence of the furious Hokage, the most powerful shinobi in the village.

Minato continued to glare at them. "Now mark my words, if _any of you_ harm Naruto again, you will answer to me _and _my wife! We won't let you off lightly. Now all of you…get out of here!"

The villagers didn't hesitate to do as he said.

Once the crowd had dispersed Kushina put a hand on Minato's arm. "Minato," she said quietly, "we have to treat Naruto's injuries—"

"It's my fault."

Kushina started at the interruption. Minato turned to face her and the rage in his eyes had been replaced with sadness. "If I hadn't sealed that damn fox in him," he whispered, "this wouldn't have happened. It's my fault."

Kushina frowned sadly and cupped Minato's cheek with her hand. "It's not your fault, Minato, so don't think that. Now come on, we need to go to the hospital."

_-End Flashback-_

Kushina looked down at the smiling boy. _'Minato still hasn't forgiven himself. He says he has, but I know otherwise. It was only a few weeks ago that Naruto actually dared to leave the house, but only when he was with either Minato or me.'_

"Kaa-chan?"

"Yes, Naruto?"

Naruto grinned up at her. "I can't wait to see Sakura-chan tomorrow! She's my first friend!"

Naruto released Kushina's hand and ran ahead through the entrance gate to the Namikaze Compound. He turned back to face her and placed his hands behind his head. "And guess what! Sakura-chan's starting the academy next week too! That means we're gonna be training together and we could be in the same class! I can't wait!"

Kushina smiled softly at the boy. "That's great Naruto. Now hurry up, we have to get dinner ready before your father comes home."

Naruto nodded and walked ahead of Kushina through the empty compound. There were houses and small stores on each street, but they were all empty. On the walls surrounded the compound was the crest of the Uzumaki Clan; a crimson swirl, commonly seen on the flak jackets of chuunin and jounin to symbolise the alliance between Konohagakure and the now non-existent Uzushiogakure. The Namikaze Clan had had no specific crest to speak of. Once Minato and Kushina were married, Minato — with Kushina's consent — had taken the crest of the Uzumaki and had it carved into the walls of the Namikaze Compound to symbolise the combining of the two clans. Of course, the crimson swirl would always remain the crest of the Uzumaki, and would not be changed to that of the Namikaze.

Minato had told Naruto that the Namikaze Clan had once been one of the greatest clans in Konoha, as great as the famed Uchiha Clan, but he had also said that not enough children were born into the clan, which meant that as old members passed away, their numbers slowly began to dwindle. Minato had been the only survivor of the Namikaze Clan when his parents had passed away, but now he had a family, and he hoped that the Namikaze Clan would one day return to its former glory.

Finally, their home came into view. The Yondaime Hokage's house was the biggest in the compound, as it was the traditional home of the Head of the Clan. It was cut off from the other houses. There was a large garden with a koi fish pond and a wooden walk way which encircled the house. Behind the house was an enormous space of land where there was another large pond, which was empty of fish, and the garden had been transformed into a training ground.

They walked through the front gate and walked up the stone path towards the house and opened the front door. The first floor was fairly open, to the left was the living room and to the right was the kitchen. Straight ahead of them was the stairway.

Both Naruto and Kushina took off their sandals and placed them by the door before proceeding towards the kitchen. Naruto sat at the kitchen table and watched as Kushina began to prepare a meal.

Several minutes later, Naruto heard the door open and a voice call, "I'm home!"

Naruto ran out into the hallway. "Tou-chan!" he shouted happily.

Minato laughed, attempting to remove his cloak while ensuring that his daughter was still securely sitting atop his shoulders. Akari giggled at Naruto's antics. The little girl was two years Naruto's junior, and she, unlike Naruto, looked very much like Kushina. She had inherited her mother's deep red locks and violet irises, but the shape of her eyes was more like her father's. Today, much to her parent's surprise, Akari had decided that she wanted to accompany Minato to work.

The Yondaime ruffled Naruto's hair playfully, "Well, someone's excited to see me. How was your day, son?"

"I made a friend, Tou-chan!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly.

Minato grinned widely, "That's great, Naruto! Where did you meet this new friend of yours?"

"In the park; her name's Sakura Haruno." A pink tinge appeared in Naruto's cheeks as he said Sakura's name.

"Haruno, huh… You don't happen to know if her father was a shinobi, do you, Naruto?"

"Yeah, she said he was killed in combat two years ago."

Minato sighed, "Ah, I remember now. Kai Haruno. He was a good man and a talented shinobi."

Naruto didn't appear to acknowledge what Minato was talking about, and instead continued to talk about Sakura. "…and she's starting the Academy too!"

Minato smiled at his son fondly, "Hopefully she'll be a good friend to you, Naruto. Did anything else happen?"

Naruto smiled nervously and rubbed the back of his head, "Nope, nothing at all."

"Naruto, what have your father and I told you about lying?" Kushina was standing by the entrance to the kitchen, her arms folded across her chest and she was frowning disapprovingly.

Minato glanced at her curiously before looking at Naruto's guilty expression. "Would you care to fill me in Kushina?"

"Naruto was fighting with a boy in the park."

Minato's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Naruto," he looked back at the seemingly uncomfortable boy, "is this true? You never fight."

Naruto folded his arms. Of course his kaa-chan would have to tell his tou-chan everything. "Yeah, it's true. But that kid and his friends were picking on Sakura-chan! I just wanted them to stop. I didn't start the fight; that kid Kunio did! I only defended myself, like you showed me, Tou-chan."

Minato smiled in amusement, "Well, at least your reasons were understandable."

Kushina laughed, stepping forward, "I don't know whether it's a good or bad thing that you've taught him taijutsu so early." She smiled widely as Akari reached out for her. "Hello, sweetheart!" She lifted her daughter down from Minato's shoulders. "Did you have fun with Tou-chan?"

The four-year-old nodded, "Me and Tou-chan played!"

"Oh, what did you play?"

"Ninja!" Akari exclaimed loudly.

Kushina raised an eyebrow as she looked at her husband who was rubbing the back of his neck nervously, "Hmm, I wonder what that involved."

Minato chuckled, quickly changing the subject, "Come on let's go eat, I'm starving!"

After they had eaten, Naruto left his parents and his imouto to go to his bed. He trudged tiredly up the stairs, exhausted from the day's events. He opened his bedroom door and without removing his clothes, flopped down on the bed. Just before sleep took him, he glanced at one of the photo frames on his bedside locker. It was a picture of him and his tou-chan when he was only a few months old.

Mikoto was trying to study scrolls, but Naruto was sleeping in his lap, and amidst all of the scrolls were several empty milk bottles. Kushina had told him that the scene was too adorable, which was why she took the picture. Naruto stared at the hitai-ate on his father's forehead bearing the symbol of Konoha and then at his face. Naruto tired expression became determined. _'Wait and see, Kaa-chan, Tou-chan, when I graduate I'll be the greatest shinobi in Konoha, and then I'm gonna be Hokage someday.' _Finally, Naruto couldn't hold out any longer and sleep took him.

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><p><em>-One Week Later-<em>

"Naruto! You're going to be late!" Kushina shouted up the stairs.

"Okay, okay! I'm coming!"

Naruto thundered down the stairs blindly, he was trying to put his shirt on at the same time and it was covering his eyes. Somehow, he miraculously made it down the stairs without falling.

Hurrying into the kitchen, Naruto glanced around quickly. "Where's Tou-chan?" he asked. It was his first day at the academy, his father should be here.

Kushina, smiled softly before responding, noticing Naruto's disappointed expression, "He's already at the academy. He's the Hokage, remember? He has to be there early to make sure everything is ready for Konoha's future shinobi and kunoichi. You know he wouldn't miss your big day. Now hurry up and eat your breakfast or you're going to miss the initiation!"

Grinning widely, Naruto sat down at the table next to Akari — who had already finished her breakfast —, lifted the small bowl of rice and chopsticks, and proceeded to stuff as much rice as possible into his mouth without choking.

This was it, the day he had been waiting for. He was going to begin his ninja training! He was excited, but nervous at the same time. Hopefully, he would be a powerful shinobi when he graduates.

His thoughts suddenly turned to a certain pink haired girl.

Plus, Sakura was going to be there! Over the past few weeks, they had become close, playing together almost every day. She seemed to be a different girl compared to the one he saved from the bullies. In the past few weeks, she had made friends other than Naruto, such as a girl named Ino Yamanaka. With her help, Naruto had been able to bring Sakura out of her shell a bit more.

Naruto's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Kushina's voice. "Naruto Namikaze you had better hurry up this instant!"

Naruto shovelled the rest of the rice into his mouth and followed Kushina and his imouto out of the house, struggling to chew and swallow his breakfast.

The whole way to the Konoha's Ninja Academy, Naruto was practically bouncing with excitement.

As the academy finally came into view, Naruto, Kushina and Akari joined the large crowd which was gathered there. The children were babbling excitedly while their parents looked on proudly. Naruto looked up at his mother to see her gazing down at him with the exact same expression upon her face. Akari, on the other hand, was looking around at the new faces with interest. Naruto grinned and, like his sister, watched the surrounding activities attentively.

Several ninja suddenly appeared in the midst of the crowd and attempted to get everything in order for the initiation.

They shouted, "Will all new students gather into three groups of fifteen."

Naruto fidgeted nervously, gaining him a soft, encouraging push from Kushina. He gazed around unsurely before spotting a head of pink hair.

He made his way eagerly towards Sakura. "Sakura-chan!" he called.

She turned and Naruto immediately noticed her change in appearance. Instead of falling across her forehead, obscuring it from view, Sakura's bangs were now held back with a red ribbon, revealing her forehead and allowing her jade green eyes to stand out. _'She's so pretty,' _Naruto thought.

Sakura smiled when she saw Naruto coming towards her. She waved and shouted back, "Hey, Naruto!"

He scratched the back of his head, something he did when he was nervous. "I like your hair, Sakura-chan, and the ribbon."

Sakura blushed and fidgeted with a strand of her hair. "Um, thanks, Naruto," she mumbled in embarrassment. "Ino gave me the ribbon."

Naruto nodded, "Where's Ino anyway?"

"She's talking to those boys, Shikamaru and Choji, over there," she replied, pointing. "I think they know each other."

Before Naruto could reply, one of the shinobi appeared behind the two six-year-olds and ushered them into a group. Ino and the two boys, Shikamaru and Choji, were also directed to the same group.

Naruto stood behind Sakura as their group formed a line. Once the other group had also been organised the crowd fell silent. Everyone's attention turned to someone standing before the groups. Naruto struggled to suppress a laugh once he saw Minato. He was wearing the traditional robes and hat of the Hokage. Naruto thought that he looked funny.

Minato began to speak, "Welcome, everyone, to Konoha's Ninja Academy, and congratulations to those of you who were accepted."

Each of the children looked at each other in confusion. Naruto stared at his father questioningly. _'What does he mean?'_

Minato chuckled softly at the expressions on their faces, including the parents, all except Kushina of course. "I can understand why there may be some confusion. None of you were aware that you can't simply attend the academy if you so wished. There were around one hundred children wishing to attend the academy, so over the past few months, each child was observed secretly by one of our ninja. Only a few days ago, this ninja came to me with these observations." He paused for a moment, looking around at the nervous faces of the children before him. "Less than half the number of children who were observed is here today."

A chorus of whispering broke out amongst the crowd. Minato continued on. "There is a reason for this." He folded his hands behind his back and looked at the children seriously. "Love the village and hope to preserve peace and prosperity. Have a mind that will not yield, able to endure hard training and work. Be healthy in mind and body."

One boy shouted out, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Those three things are what are required to have what it takes to become a ninja of Konoha. Out of the one hundred children observed, only forty-five met these requirements, and they are standing here today. I know that all of you will one day make fine shinobi and kunoichi."

A girl raised her hand. Minato looked to her and smiled. "Yes, what is it?"

"Why did you make us line up into three groups, Hokage-sama?" she asked nervously.

"I will answer your question now," Minato answered with a smile. "Each of you, take a good look at the people you are lined up with."

Once they had done so, Minato once again spoke. "These will be your classmates from now until you graduate. You will learn together and train together, and when you graduate, two of your classmates will become part of your genin team. There is an instructor for each class. This instructor will teach you everything about what it means to become a ninja, and what you need to become a ninja."

Three shinobi suddenly appeared before the three lines. They stood for a moment before each making their way towards a line

Naruto looked hard at the shinobi standing at the head of their line.

He wore the standard clothing of a Konoha ninja; the dark green flak jacket, with a very familiar crimson swirl on the back, indicated that he was either of chuunin level or higher. His brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail and there was a long scar across the bridge of his nose. His hitai-ate was tied in the traditional way around his forehead.

Once the three shinobi had taken their places, Minato said, "These will be your instructors from today until your graduate. Once you go to your classrooms they will explain more. Now, once again, I would like to say congratulations to each of you. Please follow your instructors to your classrooms. Your ninja training begins today." He nodded to each of the instructors.

The shinobi at the head of Naruto's group called, "Ok, you guys, follow me."

They followed the shinobi in single file into the academy. They walked through numerous corridors before coming to a classroom.

As they entered the classroom he said, "Sit in any seat you like."

Naruto and Sakura made their way to a desk two rows from the back of the room and sat down.

Once everyone was seated, the shinobi began to introduce himself. "Hello, class, my name is Iruka Umino, and from now until your graduation, I will be your sensei. Now, before we begin, I would like to get to know all of my students, and I would like all of you to get to know each other. Now starting in the front row I would like each of you to introduce yourselves, say one thing you like, one thing you dislike, and if you want you can tell us your dream for the future."

Naruto watched with interest as each student nervously stood and introduced themselves. As they did so, there were several students who seemed to stand out from the others.

There was a girl, who said her name was Hinata Hyuuga, who appeared to twiddle her thumbs when she was nervous, and seemed to be very shy. Her milky eyes stared down at her feet in embarrassment. But there was something about her that seemed strong to Naruto, despite her shy exterior.

There was a loud mouthed boy, Kiba Inuzuka, who at first stood out to Naruto because of the red, fang shaped birth marks on his cheeks. But all he seemed to do was boast about himself. Naruto frowned at this.

Then there was Choji Akimichi. As he introduced himself, he munched on a bag of potato chips. He was chubby, but it seemed like he didn't care, despite what other people in the class whispering about him. Naruto admired the boy for not reacting, until some poor, poor boy called him "fat"…

There was another boy who, personally, creeped Naruto out. He said that his name was Shino Aburame, and he liked insects. Every time he moved, an insect seemed to appear out of nowhere. His dark glasses and strange voice made him seem mysterious.

Then there was Shikamaru Nara. Naruto thought he was hilarious, even if he didn't try to be. When Iruka had told him to introduce himself, he didn't even stand, but instead stayed in his seat leaning his head on one hand and said, "My name is Shikamaru Nara… and it's too troublesome to tell you anything else." As soon as he said that he laid his head on the desk and closed his eyes. The whole class had burst into laughter whilst Iruka sweat-dropped.

Of course Ino then introduced herself as loudly as possible to the class. Sakura chuckled and Naruto had rolled his eyes at her antics.

Then there was a boy who interested Naruto greatly.

He said his name was Sasuke Uchiha. He didn't say much; just that he liked his big brother and that he hated people who acted like someone they weren't. He didn't have any dream in particular. He seemed nice and he was so sure of himself.

Naruto smirked. _'I have a feeling this class is going to be interesting with this kid around. Especially 'cause he's an Uchiha.'_

Now it was Sakura's turn. Naruto gave her a gentle nudge, encouraging her to stand. She smiled nervously at him as she stood. "Um, my name is Sakura Haruno. I like my friends and I dislike people who are mean to me or my friends. My dream is to be a powerful kunoichi."

Iruka smiled and nodded, "Very good, Sakura. Now, who's next?"

Naruto stood and gave his fox-like grin. "I'm Naruto Namikaze. I like ramen and my friends." He looked towards Sakura who smiled up at him. "What I don't like is the three minutes you have to wait for ramen to cook, and people making fun of or bullying other people. And my dream is to be an even stronger shinobi than my tou-san and," a look of determination appeared in his expression, "to become the next Hokage."

Sakura simply smiled, as did Iruka. But some of the other students giggled or rolled their eyes.

Iruka stared hard at Naruto, _'He's definitely the Yondaime's son. It's too bad he has such a burden on his young shoulders. I'm sure he will be told of it in due time.' _An image of the Kyuubi appeared in his mind. _'Even though kaa-chan and tou-chan were killed by the Kyuubi, I don't blame this boy for what it did, unlike most of the other villagers. They see him as the fox itself. Maybe one day they will see sense.' _"Okay, I think that's everyone," he said with a smile. "Now, your training begins."

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><p><strong>Pheww ^.^ another chapter complete ! It took me longer than I thought to write it. This chapter was mainly about Naruto and his childhood so far. I hope you liked it <strong>** I will update as soon as I can.**

**Reviews are welcome; they help me with my writing. But please be gentle.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**BlueEyedBabyy**


	3. Chapter 3

**So, it's been nearly, 2 years since I last updated? ….Yeah…. Life's been a bit hectic, and I won't go into a lot of detail about that haha, I'd probably bore you all. Anyway, I haven't forgotten about this fic, and I have been working on it, but before you read this chapter (if there's any readers left…) I recommend you go back and read the first two chapters because I've made some changes. They're not major, but it might help with the rest of this fic.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I own all OC's. **

* * *

><p>As the day came to a close, the students stood outside the academy as they awaited their parents' arrival.<p>

Naruto and Sakura stood near the edge of the crowd. Several parents had already arrived, but were staring at Naruto coldly. As they continued to glare at him, the boy shifted nervously and attempted to ignore the stares.

Sakura watched the adults curiously. She had begun to notice that the other villagers treated Naruto differently compared to everyone else, and not in a good way. They would glare at him, as though he were a piece of dirt. She could see how hurt he was by their treatment.

Believing that Naruto had had enough of their scrutiny, she said, "Naruto, there's a swing over there. Wanna wait there until our parents come for us?"

Naruto didn't reply, but simply nodded his head. He followed Sakura; his head hung low, his hands in his pockets. He thought at least that the villagers' view of him would have changed once he started the academy, since one day he will be one of the shinobi protecting the village. He sighed heavily. It looked like he was wrong.

The swing was hanging from one of the branches of a large tree. It was a simple swing, made from a single wooden board, hanging from the branch by two pieces of rope. It was amongst the shadows of several other trees so it would be difficult for the two children to be seen. There was enough room on the swing for both Naruto and Sakura. Once they sat down, they swung back and forth for several minutes in comfortable silence.

Naruto was still wrapped up in his own world when Sakura spoke, "I can't believe we've just finished our first day at the academy."

That snapped him out of his trance almost instantly. He grinned widely, showing all of his teeth. "Yeah, I know, dattebayo." He suddenly frowned and folded his arms. "It was kinda boring, though. All Iruka-sensei talked about was the history of the village."

Sakura gave him a curious look. "Didn't you like learning about the history of Konoha?"

Naruto shook his head quickly, "No, no, it's not that I don't like learning about it. It's just that I already know everything about it. My kaa-chan and tou-chan have taught me our history since I learned to talk. They've told me stories from the time of the Shodai and Nidaime Hokage, and Ojiji-san, the Sandaime, tells me about things that happened during his time, too. I know almost everything about the three Great Shinobi Wars."

He turned to look at Sakura to find her staring at him in awe. He started, and a pink blush slowly appeared on his whiskered cheeks. "W-why are you looking at me like that?"

"It's nothing. It's just so cool that you know all of this stuff before you even entered the academy. I probably don't know half of the things you know. Did you learn _anything _new today?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah, all that stuff about the Kyuubi."

Sakura's expression of awe turned into one of shock. "Really? You knew _nothing _about the Kyuubi?"

Naruto nodded while Sakura simply shook her head in disbelief. "But your father was the one who defeated it! Shouldn't you know everything there is to know about it?"

Naruto simply shrugged. He had had a feeling she was going to react this way. "They don't talk about it. All I know is that it attacked the village and Tou-chan stopped the fox from destroying everything."

They fell silent once more, both wrapped up in their own thoughts.

Naruto was thinking about his father and the Kyuubi. _'Why don't Kaa-chan and Tou-chan talk about it?'_ Minato was the one who defeated it, and Naruto was born on the day it attacked the village. But that was basically all he knew about it. Shouldn't he know more details, not from Iruka-sensei, but from Minato, the one who actually defeated the fox? Every time Naruto asked about what happened that night, the only thing Minato tells him is that after Naruto was born he left the hospital to fight the fox. It was a long hard battle, and eventually he defeated the Kyuubi. But when Naruto asked for more details about the battle than those three things, his father changed the subject. The exact same thing happened when he asked his mother.

Naruto's brow furrowed with frustration. _'It's almost as if they're hiding something from me.'_ He shook his head. _'No, Kaa-chan and Tou-chan wouldn't hide anything from me.'_

Several minutes passed before he heard somebody calling both his and Sakura's names.

Naruto looked up and spotted Kushina. She was standing amongst the other students and appeared to be looking for him. Akari was with her, and the little four-year-old was holding tightly to her hand.

There was a woman standing next to her whom Naruto didn't recognize. The only thing that stood out about her was her hair colour. It was the exact same shade as Sakura's.

Next to him, Sakura raised her hand and waved. "Kaa-chan, we're over here!" she shouted.

Both Kushina and the unknown woman — whom Naruto now supposed was Sakura's mother — seemed to spot them and waved, beginning to make their way over. Naruto suddenly realised that he had never before met nor seen Sakura's mother. He gulped nervously.

Both women smiled as they approached the children. Akari giggled and waved when she saw her older brother, letting go of her mother's hand and running towards him. "Naru-nii! Naru-nii!"

Naruto grinned, ruffling his little sister's hair, "Hi, Akari."

Kushina smiled softly at Naruto. "I was wondering where you were, Naruto. I thought you would be with your classmates."

Naruto shrugged. "It was quieter over here."

Kushina frowned. It was obvious that she knew there was more to it than that. "I see…"

Naruto felt a small nudge on his side and turned to Sakura questioningly. She appeared to be embarrassed for some reason. Naruto simply stared at her curiously. She leant forward and whispered, "My kaa-chan wants me to introduce you to her…"

Naruto's eyes widened slightly and his forehead creased with worry. "Uh, okay." He looked up at Kushina.

Kushina seemed to notice the Naruto's wary expression and smiled, "Don't worry, Naruto. She's not like the others."

Naruto nodded his head unsurely before following Sakura. They both stopped before Sakura's mother; however, Naruto didn't look up at her. Instead he stared at his sandals. _'I hope Kaa-chan's right. I don't want Sakura-chan's kaa-chan to look at me like the other villager's do.' _He gulped uneasily.

"So, you're Naruto," an unfamiliar female voice said. Naruto started, surprised. The voice wasn't filled with hatred, as he had thought it would be. Instead, it was kind and gentle. He chanced looking up.

The woman was almost like an older version of Sakura. However, unlike Sakura whose hair only reached to just above her shoulders, this woman's hair cascaded down her back, almost to her waist. Also, her eyes weren't jade green, like Sakura's. They were a very deep brown, almost a chocolate colour.

She smiled, "I don't bite, you know; you don't have to look so scared." She knelt until they were eye-level. "Now, are you going to introduce yourself?"

"Y-yes, sorry. My name is Naruto Namikaze."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Naruto. I'm Akane Haruno." She continued to smile warmly.

Naruto grinned and scratched the back of his head. _'She's nice.' _"It's nice to meet you too, Haruno-san."

"Please, call me Akane." She laughed lightly before her expression became rather stern. "Sakura told me what you did in the park the day the two of you met."

Naruto flinched. _'I knew it was too good to be true.' _"There was a reason why I did that—"

"I know."

Naruto blinked in confusion. Akane's entire expression had softened. "Sakura told me every detail. I didn't know that other children were making fun of her." She frowned at Sakura, who was staring at her feet with a light blush on her cheeks. "Sakura had never told me what was going on. I was very angry when I found out. But then she told me what you did, and I want to thank you for sticking up for her…and for beating up that kid. If you didn't, I would have hunted him down and—"

"Kaa-chan, please!" Sakura exclaimed, clearly embarrassed.

Akane smirked, "Well, let's just say that little brat would have been sorry." Her smirk softened into a smile. "So, thank you, Naruto."

Naruto blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. He has never been treated so kindly by a stranger before. "It was no problem, really." He frowned. "I would do it again, too, dattebayo. I don't like seeing other kids being picked on."

Akane nodded in understanding, "Well, let's just hope it doesn't happen again." She stood and ruffled Naruto's hair. "You are very like your father, Naruto, I wonder if your personalities are the same, too."

Kushina stepped into the conversation. "He's not entirely like his father, according to Minato. Apparently, he has my personality." Both women laughed.

"If he's anything like you were, Kushina, when we were kids, he's going to be a handful." She glanced down at Akari, who was standing behind Kushina's leg shyly. "And little Akari looks exactly like you."

Kushina chuckled, "Yeah, she does, but she seems to have her father's personality."

Sakura and Naruto looked at each other in confusion before looking back at their mothers.

Naruto spoke up, "Do you know each other already?"

Kushina nodded an affirmative. "Akane and I were best friends when we were younger, along with another girl, Mikoto. But once Mikoto and I became kunoichi, we began to drift apart from Akane because we were always training and out on missions—"

"While I didn't become a kunoichi and helped with my parents' business."

"We haven't spoken in so long…too long, actually. I should have known that you were Sakura's mother. I mean, come on! Who else in the village has _pink hair_?"

Both women laughed loudly, "Yes, I suppose that's true. I didn't know that you married_ Minato Namikaze_, of all people. I mean, I knew you were sweet on him when we were teenagers, but I don't know what happened after that. When did you get married?"

"Seven years ago, eight in August," Kushina replied with a wide grin.

"And I didn't get invited to the wedding? Kushina, I'm hurt…" Akane pouted.

Kushina's grin disappeared and her expression became panicked. "W-wait! There's a reason!"

Naruto chuckled and turned to roll his eyes at Sakura. "I've never seen my kaa-chan panic after she says something. Is your kaa-chan always like this?"

She giggled at both their mother's antics. "Never. She hasn't really been like this since before my tou-chan died."

Naruto's expression softened. He wondered what if would be like if anything happened to either his mom or dad and shuddered. He couldn't imagine living without them.

"Kushina, is that Mikoto?"

Naruto and Sakura looked towards the large crowd now standing outside the academy.

Kushina nodded and grinned. "Yeah, it is. Mikoto!"

She waved towards a woman standing near the edge of the crowd. She appeared to notice them, which was confirmed when she waved back and began to make her way towards them.

Akane shook her head. "It's been too long since I've seen Mikoto, too. I haven't seen her since her wedding, how many years is it now…twelve years ago?"

"Yeah, it is. I didn't go to the wedding; I was on a mission that week," Kushina replied. "I had to go in Mikoto's place, since I was the only other jounin available who was suitable for the mission. Ojij-san had agreed to let her have that week off from her duties…well, after she practically begged him to." The two women laughed. "Apparently it was a beautiful ceremony"

"It was," Akane said, smiling faintly. "I was shocked when I was invited, I hadn't seen her in a few years, plus I was shocked that she was even getting married. I'd thought that she was crazy to be getting married so young, but when I saw how much in love she and Fugaku were, I didn't even question it. I could see how happy they were together."

Kushina nodded, "I thought so too."

Once Mikoto was close enough, Akane ran forward and embraced her. Both women laughed as they reacquainted. Kushina, too, hurried forward to greet their old friend.

Naruto and Sakura weren't as quick to meet this strange woman. As the three women spoke, Naruto and Sakura chose to speak amongst themselves.

"Don't you think it's a bit weird that they're suddenly meeting again after all this time?"

Sakura nodded, "Yeah, it is strange. But it's kinda sad though."

Naruto gave her a quizzical look. "Sad? What do you mean?"

"They were all so close when they were our age, but then their lives separated them. Your mom became a kunoichi, and that woman, Mikoto, must have also become a kunoichi, while Kaa-chan was just, well, ordinary. This must be the first time all three of them have been together in years. It's just…sad."

Naruto's eyes widened and he glanced at the three women. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. They were talking and laughing, with wide grins on their faces. "Yeah, I suppose it is sad. Maybe this time they'll stay friends."

Before Sakura could reply, Kushina called both her and Naruto's names.

"Naruto, Sakura, can you come over here for a minute?"

They glanced at each other before making their way towards the three women. Naruto examined the unfamiliar woman curiously.

Her black hair was nowhere near as long as his kaa-chan's; it only reached to the middle of her back. Her bangs framed her cheeks. Her onyx eyes were striking, but seemed to be full of warmth. Her mouth turned up at the corners into a kind smile.

"My goodness, Kushina, is this really your Naruto?" She asked. "The last time I saw him he was only a tiny baby, he's gotten so big! He's very like Minato, isn't he?"

Kushina nodded, "Anyone who has met him says the exact same thing. Naruto, this is Mikoto, she's an old friend of mine."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head with his hand. He wasn't used to meeting so many strangers in the one day, let alone be introduced to them. "Uh, hello."

Mikoto smiled, "It's nice to see you again, Naruto. This must be your Sakura, Akane. She is very like you, isn't she? Except for her eyes, she has—"

"Her father's eyes," Akane interrupted, her tone filled with sadness. "I can't believe it's been two years since Kai was killed…"

Kushina and Mikoto embraced her, speaking words of comfort and apologising for not being there for her when she really needed them.

"My tou-chan was a great shinobi, wasn't he, Kaa-chan?" Sakura suddenly asked. She had never asked much about her father's career as a shinobi, but now that she was at the academy, she wanted to know more.

Akane appeared surprised by the question, but nodded. "Yes, he was. He was very close to reaching his goal of becoming an ANBU Black Op when he died. It was always his dream; he never wanted to go any farther than ANBU. It is a shame that he never reached it…"

Naruto watched Sakura curiously as she clenched her fists and her eyes flashed with determination. "Then that will be my goal too," she announced. "It's my goal to be an ANBU Black Op, and follow in Tou-chan's footsteps. I'll become a strong kunoichi, the strongest in the whole village!"

The small group stared at Sakura in shock. The three older women were stunned that such words came from a six-year-old.

Naruto was the first to speak. He grinned widely and ruffled Sakura's hair, much to her dismay. "Hey, Sakura-chan, now you have a dream just like me!"

A vein could be seen throbbing on Sakura's forehead as he continued to ruffle her hair. "Naruto-o-o…"

Naruto glanced at her briefly and almost cowered under her glare. _'Wow, she looks almost like Kaa-chan when she's angry…" _

"You baka!" She punched him, sending him tumbling roughly to the ground.

She shook her fist at him, her eyes white and a vein throbbing in her forehead. "Never mess with a girl's hair, Naruto-baka! Do you know how long it took me to make it perfect for today?! I swear, Naruto…!"

Naruto sat up and rubbed his head. _'Damn, for a girl, Sakura-chan's pretty strong!' _"Sakura-cha-a-a-an!" he whined.

Sakura turned and folded her arms across her chest. "Baka!"

The women sweat dropped as they watched the youngsters. Mikoto and Kushina said in unision, "She's definitely your daughter, Akane…"

Akane simply blushed and looked away, mumbling.

Mikoto suddenly said, "You haven't met my youngest son yet, have you?"

Akane shook her head while Kushina replied, "Well, the last time I saw him was just before I had Naruto, when I was asking you if childbirth was painful." She shivered as she recalled the long labour, but returned her attention to her two amused friends. "Did he join the academy today, too?"

Mikoto smiled proudly, "Yes, Fugaku and I believe he's going to be just as talented as Itachi was when he attended the academy." She looked towards the dwindling crowd outside the academy. "Sasuke?" she called.

A boy appeared from the crowd and made his way towards the small group. Naruto recognised him immediately.

'_Sasuke Uchiha.'_

He looked up at Mikoto and instantly saw her in a new light. She wasn't simply someone his mother knew; she was a member of the Uchiha Clan.

They were famous in Konoha, and to actually meet a full-fledged clan member — and one of their ninja at that — was usually considered a great honour.

Sasuke eventually reached them. Both Naruto and Sakura immediately thought he looked very like Mikoto.

They had the same onyx eyes, except his were filled with curiosity. Naruto thought his black hair resembled a duck's butt, and had to struggle not to smile at the comical thought. His bangs roughly framed his cheeks, also slightly covering his forehead. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt with a raised collar and pale grey shorts. He also wore a pair of black shinobi sandals; white bandages were wrapped around his calves.

Sasuke glanced at the small group before looking up to his mother. "What's wrong, Kaa-chan?"

"Oh, nothing's wrong, Sasuke, dear, I just wanted to introduce you to a few friends of mine. This is Akane Haruno and Kushina Namikaze." She pointed to each of them in turn. Sasuke gave them each a small smile. "And I'm sure you already know Sakura and Naruto." He nodded his heads towards them in acknowledgement, again smiling.

He returned his gaze to Mikoto and said with obvious excitement, "Kaa-chan, Itachi-niisan promised he was gonna train with me today as soon as we get home! Can we go now, Kaa-chan? Please, please, please?"

The three women chuckled at the young boy's antics. Mikoto patted his head, ruffling his hair slightly, "Very well, Sasuke." She looked at the two women before her. "Hopefully we shall see more of one another now. I will see you both soon, I hope."

They bid their goodbyes before turning to leave. Naruto suddenly noticed a type of crest on the back of Sasuke's shirt. It was red and white, and seemed to resemble a fan. _'That must be the Uchiha Clan crest.'_

He looked up as Akane yawned and said, "We should get going, too. We'll see you both soon. Come along, Sakura."

Sakura grinned up at her as they turned to leave. She waved enthusiastically. "Bye, Kushina-san. Bye, Naruto, I'll see you tomorrow!"

Naruto waved back just as enthusiastically, "Bye, Sakura-chan!"

Once Akane and Sakura were out of sight, Kushina ruffled her son's hair. "We should get going too, Naruto. I'm sure your father will want to know how your first day went."

Kushina needn't say no more. Naruto was already hurrying in the direction of their home shouting, "Maybe Tou-chan can give me some tips on how to control my catra, 'cause Iruka-sensei told us that would be the first thing we learn."

Kushina laughed loudly, lifting Akari into her arms, "Naruto, sweetheart, it's not called 'catra'. I think you mean chakra."

"I knew that!"

Kushina simply laughed as her son tried to convince her that he knew what 'catra' wa

* * *

><p>"Water…I…need…water," Naruto panted, sweat dripping from his brow. He collapsed to the ground.<p>

"Naruto, you have to keep running!" his sensei called.

"I can't run anymore!"

Sakura dropped to her knees beside him, "Naruto, we have to keep going!"

"Just leave me here, Sakura-chan, go on without me…" he laid his head on the ground, closing his eyes.

That is until he received a strong blow to the head.

Naruto quickly sat up, rubbing his head where he could feel a bump forming. "Sakura-cha-a-a-an, why-y-y-y-y?" he whined, pouting as he looked up at her.

"Baka, we have to keep running!" Sakura said her hands placed on her hips.

"Sakura's right, Naruto," Iruka called from a bench. His elbow was on his knee, his chin resting on his fist. He looked…bored, which was the only way Naruto could describe his expression. "Running around the track will help build your stamina, and also help increase your fitness levels."

Naruto pouted, folding his arms across his chest. "But, Iruka-sensei, I already _have_ great stamina."

Iruka sweat-dropped, "Naruto, you have only completed three and a half laps of the track. You have to complete _ten_ laps."

Naruto didn't reply. He simply puffed up his cheeks and looked away while Sakura sweat-dropped by his side.

Iruka sighed, before smirking. "You need great stamina to be a shinobi, Naruto, to travel long distances at great speeds and to fight in long battles. Even the Hokage needs great stamina, and because he is the most powerful ninja in the village he needs amazing stamina to be able to fight to protect his village from other powerful ninja."

He glanced up to look at Naruto, but found that he was already sprinting around the track with much more enthusiasm that before, shouting, "If I'm gonna be Hokage, I need to build up my stamina, dattebayo!"

Iruka laughed at the boy. It had been one month since the students' first day at the academy, and already several were beginning to show great promise, especially the Uchiha boy, Sasuke; he was very talented. Even Naruto was beginning to show some promise. It had taken him a while to realise that chakra wasn't called 'catra' or 'chatra', but already he had large chakra reserves, for an academy student of his level, despite learning only the basics of moulding chakra. He was also showing some talent in taijutsu. Iruka had begun teaching them taijutsu within the past few weeks, and Sasuke and Naruto already were top of the class when it came down to taijutsu skills.

However, Iruka had noticed that there seemed to be a rivalry between the two boys now. They both strived to be better than the other. He smiled. _'It's going to be interesting to see what kind of shinobi those two turn out to be.'_

He looked up to see Sakura shaking her fist at Naruto, calling him a 'baka' once more, for what reason Iruka did not know.

* * *

><p>The only sounds Naruto could hear were the scuffing of his feet — his muscles were sore and stiff — and his heavy breathing. "I can't believe Iruka-sensei is making us do that again tomorrow! I know it helps to build up our stamina, but come on! Twenty laps tomorrow? I think he's trying to kill us." He breathed a sigh of relief as the gates to the Namikaze Compound came into view. "I wonder why Kaa-chan didn't meet me today. She said she wouldn't be able to, because she had some things to do, but she didn't give away any other details." <em>'At least she made sure I wasn't walking home alone.' <em>Naruto glanced at the trees above him, spotting the ANBU shinobi who had been trailing him since he had left the academy. The ANBU had remained concealed in the shadows, but had not hidden his presence completely.

Naruto returned to his ponderings. "Maybe she knows how hard I've been working and has decided to reward me with a Ramen Buffet with lots of different types of ramen!" His mouth began to water at the thought of his favourite food. He picked up the pace in anticipation of a possible buffet, despite his sore muscles, chanting, "Ramen! Ramen! Ramen!"

He was soon opening the door to his home, still chanting, "Ramen!"

He slipped off his sandals and left them by the door before walking into the house.

"Kaa-chan! Tou-chan! Akari! I'm home!" he called, wandering through the living room and moving on to the kitchen.

Naruto's face fell glumly. "No ramen," he whimpered, his head bowed comically. The kitchen was empty, completely devoid of his favourite dish, including his parents.

He straightened and looked around once more, confused. "Where are they? Kaa-chan? Tou-chan? Is anyone here?"

He finally received an answer; it came from outside. "We're out here, Naruto," his father called.

Naruto slid open a panel and stepped out onto the walkway overlooking his back garden, which was actually a personal training ground, complete with dummies and other such targets. _'Maybe they're training...'_

"Have you and Kaa-chan been out here training, Tou-chan?" he asks as his father came into view.

Minato gave his son a small smile. "No, we're not training; we're just greeting an old friend."

Naruto cocked his head to the side. "Huh?" He looked around Minato.

Kushina was speaking to a man with long, spiky white hair, almost as long as Kushina's, except it was tied in a ponytail. Shoulder length bangs framed his face and two red lines ran down his cheeks from his eyes. He wore a short green kimono with a red sleeveless cloak with matching green trousers. He also wore mesh armour underneath his clothing and wooden sandals. A horned hitai-ate with a kanji symbol was strapped to the man's forehead. He was holding Akari in his arms, and she was pulling his white hair playfully.

Naruto recognised the man instantly.

"Ero-sennin!" he yelled happily, running to the old shinobi.

Jiraiya sweat-dropped upon hearing the nickname and anime-tears streamed down his face. "Gaki, where did you learn to call me that name?"

"That's what Kaa-chan always calls you."

Kushina laughed loudly as Jiraiya glared at her. Eventually, Jiraiya returned his attention to Naruto, after muttering a string of profanities under his breath, and picked him up after shifting Akari to his other arm, grinning widely. "Anyway, how's my favourite godson been doing?"

"I started the academy," Naruto stated happily. "And I'm gonna be Hokage someday, dattebayo!"

Jiraiya chuckled setting both children down. "That should be no problem if you're anything like your father. Just make sure you train hard. You never know, I might even teach you a few things."

Naruto gave a foxy grin. He loved Jiraiya, but he didn't really get to see him much. He was always away from the village. His dad had told him that Jiraiya usually came back when he had important information for the Hokage. "How long are you staying?" Naruto asked curiously.

Jiraiya placed his hand behind his head, scratching his neck. "Well, I'll probably stay in the village only one day. I just need to talk to Minato about a few things and then I'll be on my way." Naruto's face fell as Jiraiya spoke. A trace a guilt crossed Jiraiya's features. "I'm sorry, gaki, but you know I can't stay long in Konoha."

"Yeah, 'cause of the work you do outside the village."

Jiraiya laughed softly, "Exactly. I'm just going to speak to your father first, but I promise I'll come back, and maybe stay for dinner?" He glanced at Kushina, making puppy dog eyes.

Kushina simply stared at him, "Why're you looking at me like that?"

"Ple-e-ease can I stay for dinner, Kushina-chan?"

"So you can get drunk and eat me out of house and home like last time you old perv? No way in hell."

Naruto caught on to what his godfather was doing and, winking at Jiraiya, they both got down on their knees, clasping their hands in front on them. "Ple-e-e-ease can Jiraiya stay for dinner? Please, please, please, ple-e-e-ease?" the two begged in unison.

Kushina's eyebrow twitched as she watched the actions of her son and her husband's sensei, whilst Minato laughed.

She eventually sighed in defeat, "Fine, you win, but I swear Jiraiya, if you go near the Sake this time or even _think_ about sneaking off to do your 'research'…" Kushina emphasised her point by raising her fist and shaking it in Jiraiya's direction.

Jiraiya raised his hands in defence and laughed nervously, "Yeah, yeah, I think I learned my lesson from last time."

He looked down as Naruto pulled on his sleeve. "Jiraiya, what research is Kaa-chan talking about?" he asked curiously.

Jiraiya laughed, "Nothing you need to know right now, gaki. When you're older I'll take you with me to do a bit of research if you want." Jiraiya smiled and giggled pervertedly at the thought of his research. However, he failed to notice the vein throbbing in Kushina's temple as she glared at him. He didn't see the punch coming until he felt the pain when he collided face-first with a tree on the other side of the Namikaze family's training ground.

On the other side of the training ground, a terrified Naruto and Akari hid behind an equally terrified Minato as Kushina screeched, "AS IF I'M GOING TO LET YOU TURN MY SON INTO A PERVERT LIKE YOU, DATTEBANE!"

* * *

><p>Naruto pressed a bag of ice to the enormous lump on his still unconscious godfather's head. They were in the living-room now and Minato had laid Jiraiya on the sofa. He turned to a still fuming Kushina — Akari had wanted to go to bed early that night she she went upstairs — and sweat-dropped. "Kaa-chan, you didn't have to hit Ero-sennin so hard, dattebayo..."<p>

Kushina huffed, crossing her arms, "The old perv deserved it. How dare he even consider taking you to do research with him."

"Kaa-chan, what sort of research does Ero-sennin do?"

"…I'll tell you when you're older."

Before Naruto could question her, Jiraiya began to come around. He sat up, taking the ice pack from Naruto, thanking him, and pouted at Kushina. "Why-y-y-y, Kushina? You know I need to do the research for my books."

A vein throbbed in Kushina's temple, "You doing research for those stupid pervy books is bad enough, Jiraiya, without you dragging my son along with you. If you even _think _about taking him on one of your research trips…" She left the threat hanging.

Jiraiya held up his hands and laughed nervously, "You've nothing to worry about, Kushina."

Minato, laughing, placed a hand on his livid wife's shoulder. She immediately calmed and looked up at him adoringly. "Kushina," he chuckled, "I think Jiraiya-sensei has learned his lesson." He turned to Jiraiya. "Sensei, I believe you have something you want to discuss with me?"

Jiraiya removed the ice pack from his head and nodded. He stood and followed Minato, leaving the house, but not before ruffling Naruto's hair.

When they left, Naruto sat on the sofa and folded his arms across his chest. His expression was one of disappointment. Kushina noticed this and moved to sit beside her son.

"Naruto," she asked, "what's wrong?"

Naruto avoided her gaze. He didn't want her to know. He didn't want her to think he was selfish. "Nothing," he replied.

"Naruto, I'm your mother, I know when something is bothering you. Now tell me, what's wrong?"

He sighed, knowing that she wouldn't give up, before turning to her. "I was hoping that me and Tou-chan could spend some time together when I came home; maybe do some training and he could teach me a few things," Naruto admitted reluctantly. "He hasn't had the time to hang out with me, 'cause he's busy. I know he's the Hokage and that he has responsibilities, but..." He gave a small shrug. "I just miss him."

Kushina gave her young son a sympathetic look. She hadn't realised that Naruto felt that way. "Naruto, come here." The boy moved closer to her and Kushina pulled him onto her lap, wrapping him in an embrace as he buried his head into her shoulder. "I didn't realise you felt that way, and I'm sure neither did your father. Why didn't you tell us before?" Naruto simply shrugged. He didn't want them to think he was whining or selfish. "Yes, your tou-chan has been busy lately with his duties, but you and I both know that he would much rather be here spending time with his family."

"Then why doesn't he?"

"It's his job, sweetheart. As Hokage he has a lot of responsibilities, including the safety of the village and its people. Of course he isn't putting the village before us, he wouldn't, but—"

"But he has responsibilities," Naruto interrupted.

Kushina gave him a soft smile, "Yeah, he does. You know, he misses spending time with you too, and your sister."

Naruto lifted his head and looked up at his mother. "He does?"

With a wide grin that was almost identical to the one her son usually wore, she said, "Of course he does, you're his children, dattebane."

Naruto responded with a wide grin of his own and threw his arms around Kushina's neck, hugging her tightly. "Thanks, Kaa-chan." She always knew how to make him feel better.

Kushina pressed her lips to the side of Naruto's head and held him closer. "You know, Naruto," she said, "you can always come and talk to me. If something is bothering you, don't bottle it up and hide it away, come speak to me or your father, okay?"

"Yes, Kaa-chan," Naruto replied, nodding his head.

They remained in their embrace a moment longer before separating. Kushina asked, "Now, that we've had that talk, are you hungry? You haven't eaten anything since you came home."

Naruto shook his head, "No, not really. I'm actually kinda tired; Iruka-sensei had us doing laps today." He confirmed this with a wide yawn, rubbing his eyes.

Kushina chuckled before standing, Naruto still in her arms, "Then let's get you to bed, young man. You'll need plenty of rest if you want to become a big, strong shinobi like your tou-chan." She carried him up the stairs and to his room.

With one hand she opened his bedroom door, making her way towards the bed. She bent over slightly, pulling back the blankets, and laid Naruto down. Once he was comfortable, Kushina pulled the blankets over him and tucked him in, sitting on the edge of the bed.

She watched her son fondly as he grabbed a pillow, hugging it to his chest, already fast asleep. Bending over once more she pressed her lips against his forehead. "Sweet dreams, Naruto."

Kushina remained a moment longer, watching her only son sleep, before standing and silently leaving the room. She crossed the hallway to her own room and sat down on the bed with a sigh.

Her gaze landed on a wooden photo frame — one of many on the bedroom wall — and stood, reaching over to pick it up.

It was a photograph of Naruto when he was a baby, only a few months old. He was lying down on his back wearing a blue baby-grow, reaching his little hands up towards the camera; he was giving the holder of the camera a toothless smile, his sapphire blue eyes bright with curiosity.

Kushina ran her fingers along the smooth glass of the photo frame, a sad smile upon her lips. _'It doesn't seem that long ago since Naruto was just a helpless little baby'. _With a sigh, she put the frame back in its place. _'I would have preferred that he didn't want to be a shinobi, that he would want to live a normal life. The life of a ninja steals your youth; his childhood will be stolen from him and he will mature before his time.' _She chuckled. _'But, that boy is stubborn. Once he has a goal, he won't stop until he achieves it, just like his parents.'_

Whilst Kushina was lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice Minato standing in the doorway watching her. He smiled softly as he watched his wife, the woman he had loved from his childhood, before walking towards her.

Minato felt her jump slightly in surprise when he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Minato? When did you come home?"

"A few minutes ago. I didn't think I was able to sneak up on you anymore, Kushina." He turned her around to face him. "What's on your mind?"

Kushina frowned and she folded her arms across her chest. "It's Naruto."

"Naruto? What happened, is he okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, he's fine." She hesitated. "But he misses you."

Minato cocked his head to the side, curious, "He…misses me?"

The red head sighed and led her confused husband to their bed, sitting down. After a moment she spoke. "Naruto and I had a little talk today, after you and Jiraiya left. He said that he had wanted to train and spend time with you, but you're never home. He just misses having you around."

With a groan Minato placed his head in his hands. "I didn't realise, I didn't even know. How could I not know he felt that way? I'm his father."

"Minato, _I _didn't even know Naruto felt that way until he told me, and believe me I feel just as bad as you must right now. It's not your fault." When Minato didn't react to her words, Kushina placed her hand on his cheek and lifted his head so they were looking into each other's eyes. "It's not your fault."

He placed a hand across the smaller hand on his cheek, "I need to spend more time with him, Akari _and _you. I can't allow my duties as Hokage to hurt my family." There was a moment of silence before a small smile suddenly graced his lips. "You know, I think I'm not going to be feeling very well tomorrow."

Kushina blinked several times, confused, "What?"

Minato released her hand and lay back on the bed before replying, a grin now spreading across his face, "Yes, I'm going to be sick tomorrow. I will have to stay home to recover. Well, at least that's what I'm going to tell the Koharu-san and Homura-san." He chuckled. "Tomorrow I'll stay home and spend the day with you and the children. I'll train Naruto and attempt to teach him a few things." Minato rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe I'll do that a few times a week, it couldn't hurt. I'll help him with his taijutsu, and in a few years when his chakra reserves have grown and he has more control over them I will begin teaching him new ninjutsu, and maybe see if he has any talent for fūinjutsu like his old man—" He was cut off when Kushina pressed her lips against his. After a moment she raised her head, giggling when she saw the slight pink tinge to his cheeks, and played with a few strands of his unruly golden locks. "Need I remind you, Minato-_kun_, that _I _am the one who taught you fūinjutsu? Remember, my clan were fūinjutsu specialists." Minato laughed, his sapphire eyes sparkling in amusement, "No, you don't have to remind me. I think you burned that fact into my memory when you were teaching me in the first place." As he spoke, Kushina grinned widely, a grin identical to that of her son's.

* * *

><p>"Kaa-chan, I can walk to the academy alone now, I can take care of myself," Naruto said, folding his arms behind his head. "Plus, I'll be meeting up with Sakura-chan anyway, so technically I won't be on my own." He and Kushina walked through the streets of the village. Normally, Naruto would walk to the academy alone, until he stopped by Sakura's house so they could go together. However, his mom had decided to accompany him today.<p>

Kushina laughed at her son's actions, "Naruto, just because you have been an academy student for just over a year, it doesn't mean you can take care of yourself." She glanced at Akari, who was now five-years-old, walking happily next to them. Her red locks were steadily growing longer, now reaching her shoulders. "Anyway," she continued, "the route you take to the academy just passes by the Uchiha compound."

"So?" Naruto muttered, miffed yet curious at the same time.

"Mikoto and I are going shopping this morning, and then Akane is going to meet up with us and we're going to have a girl's day out." Ever since the three women had been reacquainted when their children had begun their training, their friendship had reignited and they were closer than they ever were as young girls. "So-o-o, we're taking a little detour to the Uchiha Compound, and we were thinking that you, Sakura and Sasuke could walk to the academy together, and that way none of you will be walking there alone."

Naruto thought for a moment before agreeing. _'It makes sense, even if Sasuke-teme's there…'_

After stopping to meet Sakura, they continued on to the Uchiha Compound. As they neared the compound, they saw Mikoto, Sasuke and another boy standing by the main entrance. Sakura turned to Naruto, "Hey, Naruto, who's he, the boy standing beside Sasuke?"

Naruto frowned in concentration as he scrutinised the boy. Judging by his height, he appeared to be possibly a few years older than themselves, five or six at most. Like Mikoto and Sasuke, this boy had black hair with bangs that framed his face; he had a low ponytail that reached to his upper back. As they neared ever closer, Naruto could see that the boy had the same onyx irises as the other two people in his acquaintance, except there was a long pronounced tear trough beneath each eye. His clothing consisted of a traditional ANBU uniform, with silver arm guards and a matching flak jacket. Strapped across his back was a katana. The boy was speaking with Sasuke, and was poking his forehead in an almost playful manner. Were it not for the obvious height difference and change in clothing, Naruto may have mistaken the boy for Sasuke as they looked so alike.

"I think that's Sasuke's older brother," Naruto finally responded.

"But he's wearing an ANBU uniform, and Sasuke's brother is only a few years older than us. How could he be ANBU?"

"I don't know Sakura-chan," Naruto frowned as he thought, his lips puckered in concentration. Suddenly his face broke into a wide grin and the boy chuckled playfully before leaping into the trees above them.

Sakura's eyebrow twitched. _'Oh no, what's he gonna do?'_

Kushina looked up with a frown as Naruto jumped away. "Sakura, where's Naruto going? I hope he hasn't decided to go to the academy without you and Sasuke."

Sakura shook her head, wary of Naruto's sudden antics. The blond son of the Yondaime had become a known prankster in Konoha, famous for his over-the-top practical jokes. Kami only knows what was going through that boy's mind at that point in time.

Kushina raised her hand in greeting as they approached the group of three. Before she could speak, however, the unknown boy standing beside Sasuke had suddenly taken a defensive stance, brandishing a kunai. Five shuriken spun away in various directions as they rebounded off of the weapon, and with a toss which almost seemed lazy, the kunai was sent hurtling towards the trees. A loud yelp could be heard, and Naruto fell unceremoniously from his perch, hitting the ground with a thud.

The boy quickly sat up, wincing as he did so, and stared at the older boy in disbelief before exploding comically. "ARE YOU CRAZY?"

The boy's facial expression didn't change, but Sakura thought she could see a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. "No, I'm not crazy. I think you'll find that I'm perfectly sane."

Naruto jumped to his feet, shaking his fist in the boy's direction, "You could have killed me with that kunai, dattebayo!"

"Yes, but I didn't. My aim was a little off, unfortunately."

Before Naruto could respond, a familiar rhythmic tapping sound reached his ears. He suddenly realised that his mother was staring at him with a frown upon her face, her hands on her hips and one foot tapping the ground; an oh so familiar vein throbbed on her temple. Naruto swallowed and shivered, his sapphire eyes growing wide. He knew that stance. Oh, Kami, he was in trouble.

"Naruto…"

Akari stood close to Sakura, away from her mother, already knowing at a young age of the wrath of Konoha's Red Hot-Blooded Habanero. "Naru-niichan is in big trouble," she said in a matter-of-fact way to Sakura.

The boy turned to his mother, "Y-yeah, Kaa-chan?"

"What are you doing?"

"I…I w-wanted to see i-if that kid really was an A-ANBU, that's all," Naruto explained, laughing nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

Kushina folded her arms across her chest, "I see, so do you think he really is a member of ANBU now?"

"Yeah, I guess so…"

"But what if he was a civilian who couldn't have blocked those shuriken or a just-fresh-out-of-the-academy genin who might not have sensed your presence?"

Naruto stopped rubbing his neck and frowned, thinking for a moment. "Oh," he said in realisation, "then he could have been hurt."

"Exactly," his mother sighed. "Naruto, this is when accidents happen. It's a good job Itachi is a full-fledged shinobi. Now, have you learned your lesson?"

Naruto nodded, "Yes, Kaa-chan." He turned to look at the boy who had now been identified as Sasuke's older brother, Itachi Uchiha. "Sorry, Itachi-san..."

Itachi simply smiled and nodded, silently accepting the apology. Meanwhile, Mikoto chuckled slightly. "Even after all this time, Kushina, it's still strange seeing you act like a parent. Where did the loudmouth, careless Kushina I once knew go?"

The woman in question flushed a subtle shade of pink. "She grew up and became a mother," she responded. "And I wasn't a loudmouth or careless, dattebane!"

"Okay, then you were simply a talkative tomboy."

As the teasing continued, Naruto released a breath, deciding that he was no longer in the danger zone. _'When Shikamaru said that mothers are the scariest women alive, he was right.' _He stood, brushing off the dust on his clothes, and made his way towards Sakura, Sasuke and Itachi, who were speaking amongst themselves — Akari had returned to her mother's side.

"Itachi-san," Sakura began, her expression one of admiration as she examined the older boy's ANBU gear. Her dream of becoming an ANBU Black Op hadn't diminished in the past year. "How old were you when you were made ANBU?"

"I was promoted to ANBU two years ago when I was eleven." There were gasps of shock from both Naruto and Sakura, whilst Sasuke simply continued to listen to his older brother. "And I was given the position of ANBU captain just this year." Itachi stated this fact lazily, as if he wasn't excited or even boasting about his position as a shinobi in Konoha.

There was a mixture of shock and wonder in Sakura's jade eyes as she stared at the young shinobi before her. _'How is that possible? I thought an academy student couldn't become a genin until they spent at least six years at the academy. If Itachi was made ANBU when he was eleven, then he must have graduated really young. He must be really powerful…' _she thought.

Naruto, however, grinned widely and pointed to himself, "Well, I'm gonna be better than ANBU, I'm gonna be Hokage! And I bet I'll graduate early too, once they see my amazing skills, dattebayo!"

Itachi didn't respond, but smiled kindly at the three youngsters, ruffling his little brother's hair — much to Sasuke's displeasure — and turned to Mikoto. "Kaa-chan, I'm should be on my way. I'll be late for my next mission if I stay any longer."

Mikoto nodded in understanding. "Of course, Itachi."

Itachi made a hand-sign and disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the small group behind.

Naruto folded his arms across his chest, "I'm not sure about that Itachi guy. He's weird."

Sasuke scoffed. "You're just mad he made you look stupid, dobe. But you did that by yourself."

Sakura sighed as Naruto turned to Sasuke, shaking a fist. "What'd you say, Sasuke-teme!"

'_Great, now I've gotta listen to them argue the whole way to the academy,' _she thought, annoyed.

The three children, soon after Itachi left, went on their way, not wanting to be late for their lessons. Once the children were out of sight, Kushina noticed a look of worry upon her friend's face. "Mikoto, are you alright?" she asked concernedly.

Mikoto's frown deepened. "It's Itachi."

"Itachi? Why? Has he done something?"

The kunoichi shook her head. "No, he hasn't done anything. He just doesn't seem to be acting like himself lately."

Kushina frowned and thought back a few minutes prior. "He seemed fine to me, what, with him teasing Naruto and answering Sakura's questions."

Mikoto continued to frown, then shook her head, forcing a smile onto her face, "Yeah, maybe you're right. Don't mind me; it's just a mother's worry."

* * *

><p><strong>This is more of a filler chapter, just quickly going through Naruto's childhood. As you can see, I ended this chapter with a sort of cliffy. In case this wasn't picked up upon, though I'm sure it was, the end of this chapter is the day of the Uchiha Massacre. I have decided not to write about the aftermath of the Uchiha Massacre after a few attempts; I was never happy with the result so I chose to simply leave it out completely. I might do a few flashbacks on it, but that's probably about it. Next chapter will be set around the time of the graduation exam.<strong>

**Thanks for reading****!**

**Please review, and be nice, please :) **

**BlueEyedBabyy **


	4. Chapter 4

**Yes, two chapters in one day :) I thought it might make up for the length of time it took for me to update, which I, again, apologise for... Anyway, I hope you liked Chapter 3, now on to number 4!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I own all OC's.**

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><p><em>-Five Years Pass-<em>

The streets of Konoha were bustling with villagers going about their daily business. The sun beat down upon the village, although a cool breeze swirled through buildings, creating small dust clouds on the roads. Children chased one another through the crowds, throwing toy kunai and shuriken at various targets or each other while adults idly gossiped.

One stand was particularly busy on this day. The two members of staff of Ichiraku Ramen had their hands full as they prepared and served the orders of their only customer present at that moment in time. The boy was a familiar sight in Ichiraku's due to his insatiable hunger for ramen. His attire consisted of an orange jacket with blue on the upper shoulders and around the waist — a large white collar almost obscured his neck area — and orange trousers. On his head he wore a pair of green goggles, which helped to keep his unruly golden hair away from his sapphire eyes. On the back of his jacket was the crest of the Uzumaki clan, a crimson swirl.

Naruto Namikaze gave a satisfied sigh as he set down his eighth bowl of ramen. "Thanks for the ramen, Teuchi-san, Ayame-chan!"

Teuchi and his daughter chuckled at the blond's antics. "Anything for my best customer, Naruto, " Teuchi said as he and Ayame proceeded to gather the many empty ramen bowls. "Although, your appetite never ceases to amaze me…"

Naruto took a toad-shaped wallet, which he affectionately called Gama-chan, from his pocket and paid what was owed as he replied, "What can I say, Ichiraku ramen is the best, dattebayo!"

The elder man practically glowed with pride and even as Naruto walked away he could still hear Teuchi boasting and praising the boy for his wonderful taste in ramen. The blond chuckled lightly as he continued down the street. _Teuchi-san never changes_, he thought with amusement.

As he passed by, he could feel the hateful glares of the villagers upon him along with the occasional threat or insult. Naruto sighed. The villagers' attitude towards him was also something which never changed. Over the years he had come to grow accustomed to the looks of hate, although they still bothered him. All Naruto wanted was to be acknowledged by the citizens of Konoha, to be recoginised as one of the people who protects them and the village. He didn't want to be seen as a 'Demon Brat', he wanted to be seen as a Hero.

Naruto looked towards the Hokage Monument, his gaze fixed on the likeness of his father. He grinned widely. That was the reason why he would surpass Minato and become the Fifth Hokage. Of course the only way he could do that was to first become a Genin.

The blond groaned and scratched the back of his head, frowning. The Graduation Exam which would determine whether or not he would become a genin was going to take place tomorrow.

He had been preparing for this for the past six years of his life, he was ready…

Naruto screamed out in frustration, startling several villagers in the process who, after realising who it was that was creating such a commotion, went back to what they had been doing with several loudly spoken profanities. Naruto thought back to the part of the exam he had already completed. The exam itself was split into two parts; the written exam and the practical exam. Earlier today he and the rest of his classmates had taken the written part of the exam.

"That exam was hard, dattebayo," he grumbled miserably. The twelve-year-old wasn't particularly talented when it came to written exams, unlike most other students in his class. Of course he studied, but nothing seemed to stick in his mind. Like his mother, Naruto was more skilled when it came to physical training, which was why he was depending on passing the practical part of the exam with flying colours to make up for his horrible written exam.

So deep was Naruto consummed with his own thoughts, he hadn't realised that he had already made it back to his house in the Namikaze Compound. He was about to open the door, when he instead made his way to the back of the house to his family's training ground.

'_I have to do everything I can to make sure I pass the practical exam tomorrow,' _he thought, set with determination.

The training ground itself was the size of a standard training ground, and contained many of the practical training materials any shinobi would need; plenty of space for sparring or ninjutsu, targets for kunai and shuriken, three large tree stumps arranged in a row — each stump had fabric padding wrapped around it — and a small number of straw dummys, all of which had small targets on the areas of the vital organs in a human.

Naruto took off his jacket and set about doing laps around the training ground to warm up. After completing several laps he immediately began doing push-ups. Once he completed one hundred push-ups, he moved on to sit-ups. Completing one hundred of these, Naruto stood and moved to one of the trees, jumping up towards one of the lower branches and began doing pull-ups.

Just as he had counted out fifty pull-ups, his arms muscles beginning to ache, he heard a loud cry.

"Naruto-niichan!"

A sudden weight attached itself to his legs, and Naruto, unprepared as he was for the added weight, suddenly let go of the branch, falling to the ground in a heap.

He slowly sat up, rubbing the back of his head in an attempt to sooth the growing bump he could now feel there, and glared playfully at the child still attached to his legs. "Akari…" he said sulkily, in an attempt to look irritated, but his little sister only giggled uncontrolably.

Akari, who was two years his junior, was very much a miniature version of Kushina. Now, at ten-years-old, her hair had grown to the middle of her back, and with the loss of some of her baby fat it could be seen that she had the same facial structure as her father. Akari was a rather quiet, polite, respectful child, but only when she felt the need to be, after all she was still her mother's daughter, prone to a sudden boisterous outburst or taking part in pranks much like her older brother, whom she looked upon as a role model.

"Sorry, niichan," Akari said between giggles, "I couldn't help it."

Naruto smirked mischievously, "Did you think that was funny? I'll give you something to really laugh about."

The girl's giggles immediately ceased. She recognised that tone. Immediately she stood and ran as fast as her legs could carry her, Naruto following behind her in hot pursuit.

"No, Naruto-niichan!"

Naruto laughed, easily catching up to his younger sibling. He grasped her around the torso, throwing her over his shoulder. He assaulted Akari's sides with his hands, tickling her.

Akari cried out in laughter. "N-no! S-stop! I'm t-ticklish!"

Naruto grinned widely as he continued to tickle the little girl. The blond boy adored his imouto, and he couldn't imagine his life without her. From the moment she was born he had promised to be the best big brother anyone could ask for, and promised that he would always protect his imouto.

Eventually, he set Akari, ruffling her red locks much to her displeasure, and said, "You should know by now what would happen if you interrupt my training. Speaking of training, shouldn't you be at the academy?"

Akari swatted her brothers hand and smoothed her rather unruly hair down, "Sensei let us go home early because of the preparations for the graduation exam. Are you nervous, niichan?"

"Nervous? About what?"

Akari sweatdropped at Naruto's reply, "The exam, Naru-baka…"

Naruto laughed loudly, but to Akari it seemed forced. "Nervous? Me? Of course I'm not nervous! I'm the son of Konoha's Yellow Flash and Red Hot-blooded Habanero, dattebayo! I'm, I'm…" He fell silent, bowing his head, his eyes shadowed.

Akari frowned in worry, "Niichan…?"

Naruto suddenly lifted his head, anime-tears streaming from his eyes, and shouted, "Who am I kidding?! I'm so nervous I feel like throwing up! It's hopeless! I'll never pass! Then I'll be an embarrassment to the Namikaze Cla—"

He was silenced by a strong blow to the top of his head. "Calm down, Naru-baka!" his sister shrieked as she raised her fist threateningly.

Naruto rubbed his head, as he frowned at his imouto. Ever since she had entered the academy at the age of six, the Namikaze family had discovered, much to the dismay of Naruto and Minato, that Akari had inherited Kushina's fiery temper. Kushina, on the other hand, had argued that it was a good character building trait, plus, everyone would think twice about being on her little girl's bad side. "Akari-i-i-i! Why-y-y-y?"

"You're being a baka, that's why! You've got nothing to be nervous about, you'll be fine." She smiled, "Sure, maybe you did badly in the written exam, but you're gonna ace the practical exam!"

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, the Naruto Namikaze I know wouldn't let something like a little nervousness stop him from becoming a shinobi!"

Naruto grinned broadly and raised his fist up, "You're right, nothing can stop me from becoming a shinobi, or becoming Hokage, dattebayo!"

Akari laughed at her brother's antics, "Anyway, Kaa-chan sent me out here to get you. She's made yours and Tou-chan's favourite for dinner tonight, to wish you luck for tomorrow."

Naruto paused before bolting towards the house. "RAMEN!" he shouted excitedly.

* * *

><p>"Okay, class, now it's time for the final part of the practical exam, where we will be testing your ninjutsu skills. Once your name is called, you will come to this room where myself and Mizuki-sensei will ask you to perform a certain jutsu. Then, we will decide, based on the marks you received from the Weaponry and Taijutsu part of the exam as well as your performance in Ninjutsu, whether or not you earn the rank of Genin. Good luck!" Iruka concluded with a smile, and entered the small room next to the class room where the final part of the exam would be held. Mizuki, a chunin with shoulder length grey hair, wearing the standard shinobi uniform — he wore his hitai-ate as a bandana — followed him.<p>

Naruto took a deep breath. This was it, how well he did in his ninjutsu skills determined whether or not he became a genin. He didn't think he did too badly in the weaponry based section of the exam, and he knew he aced the taijutsu part. He hoped the jutsu they were going to be given wouldn't be too difficult.

"Naruto, are you okay?"

Naruto looked at the girl sitting beside him and grinned, "Yeah, I'm fine Sakura-chan. I'm just wondering what jutsu they're going to ask us to do."

Sakura had now exhanged the outfit of her childhood for a red qipao dress with a white circular design on the front, back and the short sleeves. Beneath the dress she wore tight dark green shorts. However, despite these changes, she had retained her short pink hair, and still wore the red ribbon Ino Yamanaka had given her so long ago. Also, much to Naruto's chagrin, Sakura was now an inch or so taller than him.

Sakura smiled, "You'll do fine, whatever it is."

Naruto continued to grin in response, but his whiskered cheeks grew a pink tinge. Over the years, the friendship he had felt for his pink haired companion had grown into a crush, and the smile she was giving him caused a fluttering in his stomach.

However, Sakura began to frown worriedly. "But I hope it's not a difficult jutsu. Sure, I did well in weaponry, but I was just above average in taijutsu. I've got small chakra reserves, and maybe the jutsu Iruka-sensei is going to give us will require a lot of chakra…"

Before he could reply, Naruto was interrupted by a series of loud screams.

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Sasuke-kun is so cool!"

"I love you, Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. Obviously, Sasuke Uchiha's fangirls had just entered the room. Much to his delight, Sakura seemed to be just as disgusted as he was by the behaviour of the group of girls, who included her once close friend, Ino Yamanaka. The Yamanaka Clan heir had dissolved the friendship between herself and Sakura, believing that the young Haruno girl also liked Sasuke. However, that wasn't the case.

The young Namikaze's eyes found the object of the girls' affections. Sasuke Uchiha appeared to be ignoring the screams of his fangirls, remaining his broody-self, which made the girls' even worse. Naruto frowned as he looked at the boy, the last remaining heir of the Uchiha Clan. Five years ago, the entire Uchiha Clan was wiped out by one of their own, Sasuke's older brother, Itachi Uchiha, before he disappeared without a trace. He slaughtered every single person, not sparing man, woman nor child. He even murdered his own parents. Naruto was filled with sadness at the thought of Sasuke's mother, Mikoto. The Uchiha Matriarch had been like an aunt towards Naruto. Kushina had been devastated by the loss of her childhood friend, and now she and Sakura's mother, Akane, were closer than ever.

Everyone in the village wondered why Sasuke was the only one who was spared. Could Itachi not bring himself to kill his little brother? Or was there another reason entirely?

Minato had tried endlessly to discover why Itachi had slaughtered his own class mercilessly, but was unsuccessful. Due to Kushina's closeness with Mikoto, he had asked Sasuke to live with them in the Namikaze Compound. However, Sasuke had outright refused, stating that he wished to live alone, and didn't want to depend on anyone. Minato, respecting the boy's wishes, had organized an apartment for him to live in, giving him a fairly generous weekly allowance in order for him to buy groceries, pay for rent, buy clothes and whatever he needed for his training, at least until he graduated and received wages.

However, since the massacre, Sasuke had become cold, indifferent and even somewhat arrogant. He was not the boy Naruto once knew. Although, one thing that hadn't changed was the rivalry between the two. They constantly tried to be better than each other at everything and anything.

Naruto was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Sakura's name being called by Iruka. He hadn't even realised that names had started being called and quickly glanced at the rosette. Her jade green eyes had widened, she was taking in quick breaths and her face had gained a slight green tinge. Shit, she was panicking. "Sakura-chan," he said quickly, "Don't worry, you'll be fine. Just remember what we've been taught and what we've been practicing. Go kick some ass, dattebayo!"

He knew that last sentence would cheer her up. She laughed, standing and said, "Thanks, Naruto. Wish me luck." She quickly left her seat and followed Iruka into the exam room.

* * *

><p>His eyes never left the door as he waited. He prayed to Kami that his Sakura-chan would pass and become a genin. She still wanted so badly to become an ANBU, and it would crush her if that dream was pushed that bit further away.<p>

Naruto groaned, placing his head on the table. This wait was agonising! How long was it going to take to decide if she passed or not.

His head snapped up as he heard the sliding of the exam room door.

Sakura appeared from the room, and slid the door closed. She lifted her head, catching Naruto staring at her impatiently.

A wide grin broke out on her face as she lifted up her new hitai-ate, giving Naruto a thumbs up.

Naruto stood and cheered, "Way to go, Sakura-chan!"

The other potential graduates turned and stared at Naruto before looking away in amusement. After being in the same class for six years they were used to the son of the Yondaime's antics by now.

Sakura continued to grin as she called the next person's name and left the classroom.

As each name was called, the room became emptier as each student completed the practical exam.

Finally, it was Naruto's turn.

He took a deep breath before making his way to the exam room.

Iruka and Mizuki both sat behind a desk at the back of the room. Several rows of new hitai-ates bearing the Konoha symbol sat before them.

Iruka smiled at Naruto, but Mizuki's expression remained neutral. "Hello, Naruto," Iruka greeted. "Are you ready?"

Naruto took another deep breath, preparing himself. He looked at Iruka with determined sapphire orbs. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"Okay. The jutsu you must perform is the Bunshin no Jutsu."

Naruto cursed inwardly. That was his worst jutsu. No matter how hard he tried, or how much he trained, he could never get it right. His father had told him that it was because he had such large chakra reserves, and as a result he didn't have the chakra control necessary to perfom the jutsu.

Suddenly, a light switched on in his mind. Because of his innability to properly perform the jutsu, Minato had taught him another jutsu to replace the Bunshin no Jutsu

"Iruka-sensei," he said quickly. "Is is okay if I do a different type of Bunshin no Jutsu?"

Iruka blinked several times, glancing at Mizuki. Mizuki simply shrugged, seeming distant, as though his thoughts were elsewhere. He looked back at Naruto inquisitively. "Yes, that's fine."

Naruto nodded and formed a handsign in the shape of a cross, gathering the chakra needed.

Iruka's eyes widened and he placed both hands on the desk. _'No way, is that…?!'_

"_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!"

The room was suddenly filled with white smoke. As it cleared, Iruka's jaw dropped.

The room was filled with at least fifty Naruto clones. Iruka could immediately tell that these weren't illusions. These were solid clones. _'There are so many! How did he learn that jutsu? It's at least a B-rank jutsu, and it's forbidden! How… Ah, the Yondaime.'_

Iruka cleared his throat, relaxing in his seat. "Naruto, you can dispel the clones now."

Each of the clones disappeared in a series of 'poofs', leaving a single, seemingly apprehensive Naruto. He rubbed the back of his head nervously, "So, Iruka-sensei, do I pass?"

Iruka stared intently at the boy before him, letting him sweat a little.

He suddenly grinned, "Yes, Naruto, you pass."

Naruto seemed to absorb the information as he stared at his sensei blankly. _'I pass?'_

The twelve-year-old suddenly seemed to light up as he punched the air victoriously. "I PASSED! I DID IT! I'M A GENIN!"

Iruka laughed at his student's antics, "Congratulations, Naruto. Take a hitai-ate and go call the next student. Don't forget to come back tomorrow to meet your team and new sensei."

Naruto didn't hesitate as he ran forward, selecting a hitai-ate and running from the room, calling the next student's name as he did so.

'_I did it! I did it! I'm finally a shinobi!'_

That was what filled Naruto's thoughts as he left the academy. Once he was outside he slowed his pace. He looked to the sun and his chest filled his pride. "I'm just one small step closer to becoming Hokage, dattebayo," he said aloud.

"Naruto!"

Naruto searched for the source of the voice, and found Sakura sitting on the swing which hung from a tree across from the academy.

She quickly stood, shouting so he could hear her, "How did you do?"

Naruto grinned broadly, running towards her, raising the hand which still held his new hitai-ate above his head, "I passed!"

Sakura squealed excitedly, also running towards her best friend. "Naruto, we passed! We passed!" They met in the middle and Sakura pulled Naruto into a tight hug. "We did it, we're ninja!"

Unbeknownst to the rosette, Naruto was blushing furiously, his tanned skin from his neck up a bright shade of scarlet. _'S-Sakura-chan, so close! Hugging me!'_ Each time the two embraced, Naruto found that his feelings for the girl became more apparent; his stomach would flutter pleasantly, his heart would beat that little bit faster, and he could think of nothing else but their close proximity. As he felt Sakura's tight hold loosen he willed his blush disappear. Sakura didn't know of Naruto's crush in regards to her, and he wanted it to remain that way. He feared that if he made his feelings known, and Sakura didn't reciprocate them, their friendship would become awkward and they would grow apart. For now, he was content with staying friends.

Sakura, unaware of Naruto's inner turmoil, released her hold on the boy and stared happily at the hitai-ate still clutched tightly in her grasp. _'I did it! I can't believe it! I'm a genin!' _she thought. Her hold on the hitai-ate tightened slightly. _'I wonder, would Tou-chan be proud...'_

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura blinked several times as she realised Naruto had been trying to get her attention and they had left the academy grounds. "Sorry, Naruto, I just got a little distracted. What did you say?"

The blonde chuckled, "I said I wonder who we'll be put into teams with, and who our sensei will be."

"Oh, I guess it will have to be a surprise…"

The two new genins were each drawn into their own thoughts.

Naruto clenched his fists. _'I want to be on Sakura-chan's team.'_

Sakura sighed. _'I hope I'll be on Naruto's team.'_

They paused as they realised they would have to go their separate ways to go to their homes.

Naruto pushed away his thoughts of separation from his childhood friend and put a large foxy grin on his face. "See you later, Sakura-chan. I guess I'll see you tomorrow at the academy?"

Sakura smiled in response, "Alright. Bye, Naruto."

As they went their separate ways, the young Namikaze, in a bid to get home as quickly as possible, hopped onto the roofs of buildings, sprinting across them. All the while, his grin never wavered.

Before long, he had made it to his home in the Namikaze Compound.

Opening the door, he shouted, "Kaa-chan! Tou-chan! Akari!"

"We're in the kitchen, Naruto!" He heard Kushina reply.

He hurried into the kitchen where he saw his family gathered, their expressions filled with anticipation.

Akari broke the tension, "Well? How did it go?"

"I passed!" he cried out, showing off his new hitai-ate.

There were various reactions from each member of the Namikaze family; Akari rushed forward to hug her brother, a wide grin on her face; Kushina also grinned broadly, stating that she was glad she had already made ramen to celebrate Naruto's success; Minato simply smiled, his expression and demeanour filled with pride.

After celebrating for quite some time, the Namikaze family came to rest in the living room. Naruto was showing off his hitai-ate to his sister, but was refusing to put it on, preferring to wait until the following day.

However, in regards to Minato and Kushina, they were filled with apprehension. Kushina glanced at her husband, who gave her a quick nod in return, before both looking to their son.

"Naruto," Kushina said softly.

Naruto immediately stopped speaking once he heard his name. Turning his gaze to his parents, he was surprised to find their expressions filled with apprehension, and possibly…fear.

"Kaa-chan, Tou-chan, is something wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"No, no. Your father and I both thought that it was about time we told you a few things." Kushina paused, indicating to Minato to continue.

Minato leant forward until he was leaning on his knees, his hands clutched before him. "Things about the Kyuubi." Naruto stared at his father curiously. "Akari, you should stay too. Your mother and I decided that you should know as well."

At this, the two siblings sat up straighter, their attention totally focused on their parents.

The Yondaime took a breath before continuing. "Twelve years ago, as you both know, the village was attacked by the Kyuubi no Kitsune on the day Naruto was born. As you know, I defeated to Kyubbi, but the beast itself wasn't destroyed."

Both Naruto and Akari were filled with confusion. Naruto was the first to speak up, "But I thought you killed the Kyuubi, Tou-chan?"

"No, it's impossible to kill a Bijuu. Bijuu are beings of pure chakra, so they cannot be killed."

"So what happened to the Kyuubi?" Akari asked curiously.

"I will come to that in a little while. Now, because the bijuu —of which there are nine — are impossible to kill, it was decided that they would be sealed within a host. These hosts were called Jinchuuriki. The Bijuu would remain sealed within the Jinchuuriki until the Jinchuuriki his or herself decided that it was time for the next Jinchuuriki to be chosen, and the Bijuu would once again be sealed away. The previous Jinchuuriki would then die, which is unfortunately what happens when a Bijuu is extracted from its host. In the case of the Kyuubi, each Jinchuuriki was a member of the Uzumaki Clan." The siblings blinked several times, recognizing their mother's maiden name. "The first of the Uzumaki Clan to become the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi was Mito Uzumaki, the wife of the Shodai Hokage, and the second to become Jinchuuriki was Kushina Uzumaki."

Naruto and Akari exclaimed loudly at this revelation, unable to believe what they had just been informed.

"You were a Jinchuuriki, Kaa-chan?" Akari asked in wonder.

Kushina nodded, "Yes, I was."

Naruto folded his arms across his chest, "But, you aren't the Jinchuuriki anymore, are you, if the Kyuubi was released?"

"No, I haven't been a Jinchuuriki in quite some time."

"But, if a Jinchuuriki dies when a Bijuu is extracted, how come you're not," Naruto appeared to choke on the word for a moment, "dead?"

"Well, the Uzumaki Clan are known for their longetivity and life force, so that is likely the reason why I didn't die during the extraction process. It's a miracle, really, because I was four months pregnant at the time with you, Naruto."

Again, both Naruto and Akari exclaimed with shock.

Kushina continued on. "I had been kidnapped by a masked man. He knocked me unconcious, and it was so strange… I remember feeling like a part of me was being ripped out of my body, so I can only assume that that was when he extracted the Kyuubi from me."

Minato joined in. "When I had discovered that your mother had been taken, I immediately went in search of her, and found them. When I did, I believed Kushina was dead. The masked man was there, and he revealed that he had temporaily sealed the Kyuubi inside a gourd so he could use it at some point in the future. Myself and the shinobi, for he was a shinobi, entered into battle, and I managed to get my hands on the gourd sealing the Kyuubi, sending it to Konoha for safe-keeping. After that, the masked man disappeared, and I soon realised that your mother was alive, so we returned to Konoha." Minato paused for a breath. "When we returned, and after a great deal of discussion, we decided that we would reseal the Kyuubi inside your mother after she had given birth, and when she had recovered. However, it didn't exactly go according to plan."

Minato paused, allowing Kushina to pick up where he left off. "On the night of your birth, Naruto, the Kyuubi was set free. After the battle, of course, we went to the place where the gourd had been hidden, only to find the ninja who were guarding it were slain, and the gourd destroyed. It seemed that somehow the Kyuubi had broken free earlier than we expected. When we realised that the Kyuubi could destroy Konoha, I expected that your father would seal it within me once more. However, I was severely weak from childbirth, and your father, and myself after sometime, realised that if the Kyuubi was to once more be sealed within me I would die."

"So, you had to seal the Kyuubi inside someone else, right?" Akari asked.

Minato sighed, "Yes, sweetheart. However, we needed to find someone whose chakra coils were still developing, so the Kyuubi's chakra could easily merge with it's new host's, without doing any harm to the new Jinchuuriki in the process." The apprehesion and fear in Minato's and Kushina's expressions appeared to grow. "The Kyuubi had to be sealed within a newborn baby."

The family sat in sudden silence as the youngest family members absorbed what they had just been told.

Slowly, each bit of information sank into Naruto's mind. This wasn't what he had been taught in the academy. He was told that the Kyuubi was killed, not sealed. His father's last word's continued to replay inside his head.

'…_We needed to find someone whose chakra coils were still developing…' _

'_The Kyuubi had to be sealed within a newborn baby.'_

A newborn baby…

Naruto's eyes widened in sudden realisation. Everything made sense now! The beatings, the glares, the looks filled with hatred, the names; _'Demon!' 'Monster!' 'Freak!' 'Demon Brat!'_

He abruptly stood. His heart beat strongly, pounding in his chest; his breaths came in deep gasps. He looked at his parents, only to find them looking back at him, their eyes filled with sadness, and guilt.

It was true.

"No…"

Akari glanced at her parent's expressions before looking up at her brother. "Naruto-niichan…"

Naruto clenched his fists, and he was filled with an emotion he had never felt towards his parents.

Rage.

"You did it, didn't you…"

Kushina tried to speak, "Naruto—" She was cut off.

"YOU SEALED THE KYUUBI INSIDE ME!"

His voice reverberated around the now silent room. His parents remained silent while Akari was stunned by the revelation.

Naruto continued on. "How could you do it? I'm your son! For years I've been abused _and _ignored by the village! I had no friends until I met Sakura because the adults wouldn't let their kids play with me! I've been called a 'demon' or a 'monster' by most of the villagers!"

Minato attempted to cut in, "But what I wanted when I sealed the Kyuubi was for you to be seen as a hero, the person who saved the village."

Naruto scoffed, "Well, that didn't really go how you planned did it, Tou-chan." He immediately left the room, stopping at the front door to pull on his blue sandals. As he pulled open the door, without looking back he said, his tone filled with betrayal, "I was hated by everyone because of what I am. I would've thought you would understand that better than anyone, Kaa-chan. You both lied to me. How can I ever trust either of you again?" The angered and hurt Namikaze slammed the door loudly as he left.

Kushina covered her mouth, tears beginning to well in her eyes. "I knew that he would be upset, but this…"

Minato wrapped an arm around his wife, but said nothing; his expression betrayed the immense guilt he was now feeling.

Akari watched her parents in silence for a moment. She, too, was shocked by the revelation. Her niichan was a Jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi!

She saw her parents begin to bury themselves in their own guilt, and decided to speak, "How else would you have expected him to react? Niichan just found out he's the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, for kami's sake. Just give him a little time to calm down."

The two adults absorbed the ten-year-old's words carefully; she was right. He just needed time to calm down. All of this would have been a shock to him.

Suddenly, an ANBU shunshined into the room in a kneeling position before Minato, startling the family.

"Forgive me, Hokage-sama, for intruding, but this is of the utmost importance," the masked shinobi said in an urgent tone.

Immediately, Minato focused his undivided attention on the ANBU, "What's happened?"

"The Scroll of Seals has been stolen."

* * *

><p>Naruto leapt through the trees at incredible speeds, hopping from branch to branch, using his chakra to increase his pace.<p>

Angry tears flowed from his eyes. _'Why?'_

"Why didn't they tell me?!" he cried out in frustration. "They've been lying to me all this time! Why?!"

'_They did it to protect you,' _a little voice at the back of his mind nagged, but he pushed it away stubbornly.

"No, they were protecting themselves!"

'_You know that's not true, they aren't selfish, they care about you,' _the little voice came again.

Naruto pumped more chakra to his legs and feet, increasing his speed yet again, causing the branches to splinter beneath his soles. His mind was a whirl of emotions and thoughts. He felt so much anger, so much betrayal, so much pain.

The twelve-year-old forced himself to stop on the next branch; if he went any further he would pass Konoha's border. He cried out in frustration and struck the trunk of the tree, the bark splitting and cracking beneath his knuckles.

Naruto placed a shaking hand to the tree, keeping himself steady in an attempt to organise his thoughts.

He was the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki…

A sudden clang of metal pulled him from his thoughts.

He looked off in the direction the sound came from and his eyes narrowed as he listened carefully.

_There! _

Another clang of metal, followed by another, and a sudden flare of chakra.

Without thinking, Naruto took off in the direction of the noise. _'What's going on?' _he thought anxiously. _'It sounds like someone's fighting, or I might just be overreacting, and someone could be out training. Yeah, that's probably it, someone's just training.' _But his stomach continued to knot unpleasantly.

He stopped on a branch overlooking a clearing.

Two Konoha shinobi were fighting below him, but it didn't look like a friendly spar. One of the two appeared to be badly injured, with numerous gashes on his body, most likely caused by a kunai. The other shinobi appeared to be fairing better as he taunted the injured man before his.

"Are you giving up already, Iruka? I thought you had more fight in you than this."

"Shut up, Mizuki!"

Naruto gasped, his sapphire eyes widening. _'Mizuki-sensei? Iruka-sensei? What's going on?'_

The shinobi, now identified as Iruka, jumped back from Mizuki, catching his breath. "Why," he began, "Why did you take the Scroll of Seals? You know it contains forbidden jutsu that could harm the village! Why?!"

Mizuki laughed, an almost manic sound, "Isn't it obvious, silly Iruka; power!"

Iruka lunged at Mizuki furiously, enraged, but Mizuki dodged the attack and drove a kunai deep into the Konoha chunin's shoulder before kicking him away.

Naruto looked on furiously. No one hurts his sensei!

Iruka gingerly sat up, trying to breath through the pain. _'When did Mizuki become so strong?' _he thought incredulously. Mizuki advanced on the chunin, grinning wickedly as he grasped one of the two large shuriken strapped to his back, pulling it free of its bindings.

"Now, Iruka, we can't have you running to the Hokage telling him everything you know, can we?" His grin appeared to grow as he raised the shuriken. "I think it would be better for everyone if I simply killed you!" He thrust the weapon at Iruka.

Naruto's eyes widened and his body reacted instinctinvely.

Iruka watched the oncoming shuriken, knowing that he wouldn't be able to dodge, not in his current state. He closed his eyes, awaiting the pain. But it didn't come.

Slowly, Iruka opened his eyes, before they gradually widened in horror.

Naruto was crouched over his sensei, and grinned weakly at his horrified expression. "Are you okay, Iruka-sensei?" he asked, blood beginning to drip down his chin from his mouth.

"N-Naruto, what…?"

The blond haired boy dropped to one knee, breathing heavily, and Iruka stilled when he saw the large shuriken embedded in Naruto's back.

Naruto reached back and pulled the weapon from his flesh, wincing as he did so, and blood gushed from the wound. Forcing himself to stand, the young Namikaze turned to face Mizuki, his normally bright sapphire eyes hardening.

Mizuki simply smirked at the newly appointed genin, his eyes filled with unmistakable hatred and disgust. "Oh just what I need, the demon brat. You shouldn't be getting involved in things you don't understand." A sudden wicked grin spread across his face. "Do you know why you are called a demon, boy?"

Iruka, realising what Mizuki was about to do, cried out, "No!"

"Do you know why everyone in the village hates you?"

Iruka forced himself to his feet, "It's forbidden!"

Mizuki grinned manicly, "It's because you, Naruto Namikaze, _are _the Kyuubi no Kitsune! The Yondaime put the demon inside of _you_! You destoyed the village, and killed its people! You're a monster!"

Naruto stared coldly at the chunin before replying, "Yeah, I know, my parents told me."

Mizuki blinked several times in mild surprise, and composed his features. "I see. How does it feel knowing that the people closest to you hid something like that from you, that you're a demon?"

The twelve-year old's eyebrows came together in a frown, "It doesn't feel good that's for sure."

Mizuki continued to grin, "So, what are you going to do, demon brat? Are you going to go on a rampage, destroy the village like you did twelve years ago? If you do, I might stay a little longer to watch the show, that is, as soon as I finish off little Iruka here."

Naruto gritted his teeth, his fists clenching tightly, "I'm not going to go on a rampage." He glowered at the chunin. "And if you ever touch my sensei, I'll rip you apart."

The chunin shuddered slightly at the icy blue eyes of the boy before him, but hid his uneasiness with a mask of disgust, "Those are big words for a little brat like you; I could destroy you."

A rush of anger flowed through the blonds body. Without responding, Naruto formed a hand seal, gathering as much chakra as possible for what was needed, "_Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!"

A series of _'poofs'_ sounded with a cloud of white smoke. When the smoke cleared, Mizuki's eyes widened as he was surrounded by hundreds of clones.

Iruka looked on in shock, _'How can he create so many clones? There's no way! That's an A-rank jutsu!'_

Each of the Naruto's fixed the now cowering Mizuki with an icy glare. The real Naruto cracked his knuckles, "You're going to pay for what you did to Iruka-sensei, and for betraying this village and my father." Each clone lunged at the shinobi before them simultaneously.

Iruka winced as he listened to Mizuki's screams of terror and pain. The scuffle continued for several minutes until the clones suddenly dispearsed, leaving the real Naruto standing next to an unconcious, bloodied and bruised Mizuki. The blond rubbed the back of his head, "I might have gone a bit overboard, but he deserved it, dattebayo." Glancing worriedly at Iruka he asked, "Are you okay, sensei?"

Iruka smiled, "I'll be fine, don't worry about me. Well done, Naruto." He paused and glanced to the trees behind him, recognising the chakra signatures approaching. _'It's about time they got here,' _thought Iruka with some amusement.

Several ANBU Black Ops suddenly appeared in the clearing, followed by the Yondaime Hokage.

Minato's expression was one of surprise when he spotted his son, "Naruto? What are you doing here?"

Naruto shrugged, feeling the now familiar twinge of anger in his chest, "Helping."

Guilt flashed across the Yondaime's face at the cold tone of Naruto's response. Spotting the still unconcious Mizuki, who appeared to have been beaten to a bloody pulp, he turned to Iruka and asked, "What happened here, Iruka?"

The injured chunin proceeded to give a report of the events that had transpired. When he had completed his account, there was an air of shock in the clearing. "As you can see, Hokage-sama, without Naruto things could have been a great deal worse," Iruka concluded. The ninja gathered had trouble believing that it was a mere genin who had defeated Mizuki, despite said genin being the son of Konoha's Yellow Flash.

Iruka glanced at the sullen Naruto before leaning towards Minato, who still wore a guilty expression upon his face. "Hokage-sama," he whispered, "I hope you don't mind me interfering, but speak to Naruto once you're alone. He's had a tough night, and I'm sure you know why. Mizuki didn't really help either."

Minato nodded, acknowleging the academy teacher's words. "Thank you, Iruka. Now, go to the hospital and tend to your wounds, I'll take care of things here," he said with a soft smile.

Iruka bowed, and shunshined. With a sigh, Minato ordered several ANBU to take Mizuki to Konoha's Correctional Facility and asked who remained to return the Scroll of Seals to its rightful place, effectively leaving him alone with Naruto.

Several minutes passed in a tense silence. Finally, the Hokage took a breath, stepping towards the young genin. "Son—"

"Tou-chan, please," Naruto interrupted. "I want to speak, if that's alright." It wasn't a question.

Minato hesitated, but nodded. The twelve-year-old, like his father, took a deep breath before speaking. "I'm so angry with you, and Kaa-chan. I don't think I've felt this way towards you, ever." Minato cringed; Naruto ignored it. "But I don't hate you, I could never hate you. I understand what you did was for the sake of the village, but that doesn't make it right. I was probably the only baby you could've used anyway…"

"Naruto, I didn't simply choose you to be the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki because you were the only newborn baby I had access to." He ran a hand through his thick blond locks. "I could've chosen any baby, or any person, but I chose you. Do you want to know why?"

Naruto shrugged in response. Minato smiled warmly, "I sealed the Kyuubi inside you because I trusted you to master its power."

He was thrown for a moment by his father's answer. _'He trusted me…to master the Kyuubi's power?' _Masking his surprise, he replied, "I see… But still, it was, selfish."

"Yes, it was selfish. But I was, and am, sure you could handle it. I and your mother both know that you will one day be the one to control the Kyuubi's power." He suddenly grinned broadly, "You are our son, after all."

The twelve-year-old's sapphire orbs widened.

A warm breeze sweeped through the clearing, bringing with it the green leaves of the trees, swirling around father and son gently before settling on the ground, which still bore the marks of the recent fight.

Naruto looked down at the ground, a shadow hiding his eyes from view. _'They trust me, they trust me so much with the Kyuubi. They think I'll be strong enough to control it. They believe in me.'_

Minato's voice pulled his son from his thoughts. "We need to go home, son. Your mother is probably worried sick." He paused, watching the boy carefully. "…Are you coming?"

"…Yeah." As he moved to walk towards his father, Naruto grimaced, falling to one knee, a sharp pain travelling up his spine. _'My wounds…'_

Minato, seeing his son's distress, hurried forwards and knelt beside him. "Naruto, are you alright?"

Naruto winced, "Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about me."

"Naruto, you're not fine. Where are you injured?" Just like that, Minato was in protective-father-mode.

"M-my back."

Minato glanced towards the area Naruto was pointing out and took a quick breath in shock. In the centre of the twelve-year-old's back was a gaping hole, obviously caused by something that could easily tear through skin and flesh. The orange of the jacket had turned a rust colour due to the blood which had gushed from the wound. "What on earth happened to you?!"

"I was watching Mizuki and Iruka-sensei fighting. Iruka was open, and Mizuki-teme had thrown one of those giant shuriken he carries. So, I shielded sensei from the attack and I was hit instead." He winces. "I didn't really notice how much it hurts until now."

Minato sighed, "It was probably the adrenaline. Come, let's get you to the hospital. Hold on to me." Naruto grasped his fathers arm tightly as he was pulled to his feet. "Now, this might feel a little unpleasant."

Naruto frowned, "What do you mean un—"

Suddenly, the world around them disappeared in a blur and Naruto felt like he had been sucked through a small hole. Before panic set in, the world reappeared and the young Namikaze found that they were now in the reception of Konoha Hospital. He bent down, holding his now nauseous stomach. "Pleasant…" He said, completing his unfinished question.

Minato chuckled, "Sorry, but this was the fastest way to get you to the hospital."

After he had recovered somewhat, Naruto looked up at his father. "The Hiraishin no Jutsu?"

The Yondaime nodded an affirmative, "And before you ask, no, I'm not going to teach you how to do it, not until you're ready. Now let's get you checked out."

* * *

><p>"Naruto!"<p>

Naruto looked up to see his mother hurrying into the hospital room, Akari following close behind. His injuries had been treated, and bandages had been wrapped around his back and torso, although the wound on his back had already began to heal. Apparently the Kyuubi healed any injury he sustained, meaning that he would heal faster than a normal person, which explained a lot of things.

Kushina wrapped her son in an embrace, which he returned. "Are you alright?" she asked worriedly.

Naruto nodded as she released him. "I'm fine, the doctors said I'll be fully healed by tomorrow, maybe the day after. You know, because of the Kyuubi. They said I can go home soon." No sooner had he finished speaking that he received a blow to the top of his head. He cried out, and glared at his imouto, who was in return glaring at him with folded arms. "What was that for, dattebayo?!"

"For being a baka," she replied simply, "and for worrying Tou-chan and Kaa-chan sick."

Naruto frowned, apologising quietly under his breath. The atmosphere was suddenly silent and tense as each Namikaze contemplated what to say.

Eventually, Kushina sighed, glancing at her husband. "Minato, will you take Akari home? I need to speak with our son, alone."

Minato nodded in response, guiding the confused ten-year-old from the room.

Naruto knew why his mother wanted them to be alone. She was the only he could really talk to about the Kyuubi, and about being a Jinchuuriki. He didn't look at her as she took a seat next to him on the examining table. "Tou-chan told me why he sealed the Kyuubi inside me. He said it was because you both knew that I'd be able to control its power."

The redhead nodded, but didn't speak.

"Why?"

Kushina waited for her son to continue. She knew he was upset about this revelation; he would need time to accept it. He looked up and his sapphire orbs stared blazingly into her violet irises.

"Why were you chosen?"

Inhaling deeply, she began. "As you know, I was born in Uzushiogakure as a member of the Uzumaki Clan. It seems that I was born with powerful chakra which was able to suppress the Kyuubi." Kushina paused, gathering her thoughts, and watching as her son absorbed what he had been told so far she continued. "Do you know about the battle between Hashirama Senju, the Shodai Hokage, and Madara Uchiha at the Valley of the End?"

Naruto nodded. He remembered the Sandaime telling him about the battle, how fierce it had been. But what had this to do with the Kyuubi?

Kushina continued, "The Jinchuuriki before me was the woman who became the wife of Hashirama Senju, and her name was Mito Uzumaki. In order to help the Shodai Hokage, who had obtained the Kyuubi in his battle with Madara, Lady Mito sealed the Kyuubi inside her body with a sealing jutsu and became its Jinchuuriki. From then on, Konoha maintained possession of the Kyuubi."

Naruto looked at the ground, pursing his lips as he thought about what he had been told. He glanced at Kushina curiously, and asked, "What happened then?"

"When Lady Mito's days were coming to an end, I was brought to Konoha to become the new vessel for the Kyuubi."

The blond's once curious expression became pained, and even somewhat angered. "You were just being used!" he exclaimed. She was just a tool! Was he the same?

Kushina didn't respond to the exclamation, absorbed in her past. "When I was first brought to the village, I wasn't told a thing about the Kyuubi, and it was a shock when I was told why I was there. It was a closely guarded secret; the only ones who knew were the Sandaime and a few of the top officials. Not even the legendary Sannin were told about it." Her expression became one of sadness. "I was nearly overwhelmed by the pressure of being a Jinchuuriki and the loneliness I felt as a result."

Naruto continued staring at his mother intently. So, she had known and experienced what he was going through? Since he had discovered that he was the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, he had felt nothing but saddness and pain, which added to the loneliness he had already felt due to the treatment he had recieved from the villagers. He watched as Kushina's expression became thoughtful, and she once again began to speak.

"Then one day Mito-sama, the previous Jinchuuriki, summoned me. She comforted me, as a mother would her daughter. She told me that, like me, she had been brought to Konoha as a vessel for the Kyuubi, and that she could imagine the shock I felt when I learned that I would become the next Jinchuuriki, how sad I must have been, how I had suffered. I was actually surprised that she knew what I had been feeling. Then, she told me something I would never forget." A small smile played at her lips, pulling them up slightly at the corners. "She said that there was a was a way to find happiness, even as a Jinchuuriki."

Now Naruto was intrigued, drawn in by his mothers words.

Kushina looked directly at the twelve-year-old. "By filling ourselves."

Naruto tilted his head to the side, clearly confused, "Filling ourselves?"

The Namikaze matriarch nodded, "By filling myself with love first, I would be able to live a happy life despite being the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. That is what Mito-sama taught me."

Naruto was thrown by what she had said. "So, you were happy even if you were the Jinchuuriki, Kaa-chan?" he demanded.

Kushina scrutinised her son for a moment before smiling softly. "Yeah."

His mother was completely serious, Naruto realised. She didn't allow the treatment she received to affect her life, to affect who she was. His vision blurred slightly and he quickly wiped his eyes.

Kushina's eyes softened as she looked at her son. _'You'll be fine, Naruto. You will live a happy life, and you will find someone to love, and who will love you for you.'_ "How are you feeling?"

Once Naruto collected himself, he replied, "I feel fine, a little sore, but other that that…"

"Good, then you're coming home with me now," she stated, standing, "I'm sure the doctors won't mind if you leave a little early."

The blond immediately stood, pulling his black shirt carefully over his head; his favourite jacket was ruined, much to his displeasure, due to the obvious blood stains and tears. He grinned broadly, "What are we waiting for, let's get out of here, dattebayo!" He hated hospitals.

Kushina laughed at her son's antics, "But we'll not be going home just yet."

Naruto paused, already in the midst of leaving the hospital room, and turned to his mother, who had her hands on her hips, "Why?"

"We're going, shopping, dattebane! The stores should still be open, its not too late," she exclaimed, clapping her hands together excitedly, to which Naruto groaned.

"Kaa-chan, you know I hate shopping," he moaned. "Why do we have to go now, anyway?"

"We can't have you starting off your life as a ninja with destroyed clothes, I know you have more at home, but none suited for being a shinobi." She tapped her chin thoughtfully, and said teasingly, "Maybe I'll even be able to get you to wear something other than orange."

"Orange is my favourite colour, dattebayo!"

Kushina laughed heartily as she placed an arm around Naruto's shoulders, leading him from the room as he continued to protest.

* * *

><p><strong>And there's Chapter 4 :) Naruto's a genin! Yay! I hope you guys liked it, review and tell me what you think :) I promise I won't leave it another 2 years before I post the next chapter, I pinky swear!<strong>

**BlueEyedBabyy**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys I'm back! I'm so sorry this chapter took so long, but with studying and exams and other such things I just haven't had time to write. Hopefully you will enjoy this new chapter :)**

* * *

><p>Thoughts: <em>Italics.<em>

Inner Sakura: _**Bold Italics.**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I own all OC's.**

* * *

><p>Sakura sighed as she held her head in her hand, the other resting on the table. The classroom was a buzz with the newly appointed genin, all eagerly awaiting the naming of the teams. The rosette was sitting alone at her table watching the goings on with interest. A knot of tension formed in her stomach and she nervously adjusted her hitai-ate, which she wore in a similar way to the ribbon she had worn up until today, on top of her head keeping her bangs away from her face. <em>'What if I'm not ready for this? What if I'm not ready to be a kunoichi?' <em>The doubts had been running through her mind since last night, when the excitement of passing the exams had turned into worry.

'_**Enough with the complaining! You're giving me a headache…'**_

Sakura _'tsked'_ in annoyance. _'What do you want?' _

The conciousness, who had named herself Inner Sakura, scoffed. _**'I want you to suck it up! You're a kunoichi now, so act like it. You've wanted this for as long as we can remember.' **_Inner Sakura usually made an appearance every now and then. She had manifested when Sakura was very young, becoming her inner voice, voicing somewhat opinionated comments.

The rosette groaned, placing her head on the table. _'I know, I'm just worried. I can't help it.'_

She was suddenly very concious of the time when she realised that Naruto was late. She glanced around the classroom, searching for his noticable orange clothing, but there was no sign of him. Knowing that little knucklehead he had probably slept late.

A soft smile formed on her lips as she thought of the blond. He truly was her best friend; he saved her when she was little and had been protecting her ever since. The fact that they might spend their lives as ninja apart deeply saddened her. Sure, she might see him during missions, and around the village, but it wasn't the same.

A sudden series of hysterical screams interrupted her thoughts.

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Sasuke!"

She groaned, face-palming. Why today of all days? At least by getting separated into teams she wouldn't have to listen to Sasuke's fan-girls.

Looking up, she saw that the Uchiha was surrounded by a group of hysterical girls, including her former best friend, Ino Yamanaka.

Sakura felt a twinge of sadness as she watched Ino fawn over the broody Uchiha, flaunting her impeccable figure. However, her long pale blonde hair — which was tied into a ponytail — often swiped him across the face as she turned to squeal shrilly with the other girls, much to his obvious annoyance. She had replaced the clothing of her childhood for a short purple vest like blouse with a raised collar and a purple skirt that was cut off on the sides; around her stomach and legs she had wrapped bandages to hide the bare skin, and she also wore purple and white elbow warmers. Sakura noticed that she had her hitai-ate tied around her waist as a belt.

The Yamanaka Heiress had liquified the friendship between herself and Sakura, believing that Sakura also had feelings for Sasuke, and had declared her, her rival. However, she had denied it profusely, but Ino had refused to believe her.

Said former-friend spotted the rosette and hurriedly made her way towards her.

"Forehead!" she called loudly.

Sakura groaned at the nickname, which had obviously intended to be insulting. "What do you want, Ino-pig?"

The Yamanaka bristled at the name, but continued, placing her hands on her hips, "Sasuke-kun's going to be on my team for sure, so don't get your little hopes up about him being on yours!"

"I'm not, and I don't want him on my team anyway, you can have him for all I care." These irritating jabs about Sasuke, and Sakura's 'apparent' feelings for him, were really grating on her nerves.

Ino paused for a moment, her pale blue eyes wide and surprised, unsure of what to say next. Of course, Sakura had brushed off her comments about her precious Sasuke-kun before, but she had never sounded so…indifferent and cold. Shaking off her surprise, she folded her arms and smirked, "Well, I just wanted to let you know that you'll have no chance with him." She moved away from the table, going to her own seat.

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. She had never liked Sasuke and was pretty sure that she never would. Ever since the massacre he had changed, and not for the better; he wasn't the same energetic little boy she had known as a child.

At the sound of the classroom door sliding open, Sakura spotted a head of golden locks and a wide smile automatically spread across her face. "Naruto!" she called.

Naruto looked up, spotting his crush, and an equally wide grin spread across his face as he raised his hand in greeting, moving through the classroom towards their table. He noticed that several pairs of eyes were glancing at him, and he assumed it was due to his new attire. True to her word, after sneaking him out of the hospital, his mother had taken him shopping, much to his displeasure. But it had been a choice between staying overnight at the hospital or going clothes shopping, and he would choose shopping any day.

As replacement for his orange jumpsuit, Naruto now wore a dark blue jacket — which he left unzipped revealing a black t-shirt beneath — a few shades darker than his sapphire eyes with two orange stripes travelling down the sleeve from shoulder to wrist. The hem of the jacket was also orange and on the back was the crimson crest of the uzumaki clan; Kushina had commented that it was a lot like the jacket his father had worn as a genin, except for the colours, crest and the fact that Naruto's jacket had a hood. He also wore light grey pants and orange fingerless gloves with metal-plating along with his regular blue sandals. In addition to his new attire he had a pouch attached to his back pocket filled with various shuriken, kunai and other such items, and on his right leg a bandage was wrapped just above his knee with another pouch containing a kunai; the placement of these pouches were traditional for any shinobi. On his forehead Naruto wore his hitai-ate proudly, choosing to wear it the traditional way.

The young Namikaze took his seat next to Sakura, and a blush flooded his cheeks when he noticed her examining his new outfit curiously. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she replied, quickly looking away with a lightblush across her cheeks, smiling. "I like your new clothes. But I thought you loved your jumpsuit."

"I did," Naruto sighed longingly. "But, it got ruined, so Kaa-chan took me shopping."

Sakura chuckled, placing her chin in her hands, her blush now under control, "Let me guess, you over-did it with training?" '_Of course he did, it's Naruto. He always over-does things.'_

The blond in question leaned back in his chair, his arms folded across his chest, his forehead furrowed in a frown. "No, I wasn't training. But, I wish I was."

Sakura's eyebrows raised in surprise before coming together, concern alighting in her jade eyes. "What happened?"

Naruto proceeded to fill her in on the details of the events of the previous night, excluding everything about the Kyuubi and him being its Jinchuuriki. _'I can't tell her, not yet. I can't risk her shunning me like everyone else.'_

Sakura was stunned. "So Mizuki-sensei stole the Scroll of Seals, betrayed the village, and nearly killed Iruka-sensei?"

Naruto nodded an affirmative, "If I hadn't jumped in front of that giant shuriken, Iruka-sensei would probably be—"

"Wait, WHAT?! You jumped in front of a _giant_ shuriken?!"

The blond stared at Sakura, who was now standing, with wide eyes. He continued cautiously, "Yeah, that's why I had to get new clothes. There was a huge hole the back of my jacket from the shuriken, plus it was badly stained from the blood…" He yelped when the rosette grabbed him by the collar.

"You were hurt?! Why are you here?! You should be in the hospital, baka!" She shook him, a knot forming in her stomach. That idiot, what was he thinking, interfering in a fight between two full-fledged shinobi?! Her breath quickened as she thought of what could easily have happened. _'He could have died!'_

The rest of the class appeared to have noticed the ruckus, and were now focusing their attention on the two with interest.

"B-but, Sakura-chan, I'm fine! The doctors let me leave the hospital last night." It had been a while since Naruto had seen her so upset about something. "I promise, I'm fine," he said slowly, in an attempt to calm her.

At his words, her breathing slowed and she returned to her seat. She ran a hand through her pink locks, letting out a sigh, filled with relief, before looking directly into Naruto's sapphire orbs. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm fine, dattebayo!" He grinned widely, giving her a thumbs up.

"Good," she smiled, before striking the top of his head with her fist.

Naruto cried out, rubbing the new bump on his head gingerly. The other genin in the class chuckled, looking away from the duo now that the apparent drama was over; they had become accustomed to the two's love-hate relationship over the years, more love on Naruto's part though. It was obvious to them how much he liked her. The only one who seemed oblivous to that was Sakura.

The young Namikaze continued to rub his head, whining as he did so. "What was that for?"

Sakura folded her arms as she replied, "For acting before thinking. You could have been killed."

"I know."

Sakura paused and glanced at her companion. He was staring at the desk, and was running a hand through his unruly blond locks, a habit Sakura noticed he did when he was deep in thought. He wore a serious expression on his face, his eyes hardening slightly. "I know I could have died, but at the time, I didn't care. The only thing I was thinking about was not letting that teme Mizuki kill Iruka-sensei. That's part of what it means to be a shinobi, right? To not let our comrades die, and even die trying?"

The rosette didn't reply for a moment. She had never seen Naruto so…serious, and focused. But, it almost seemed like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Did what happened really change him that much? "Yeah… I guess it is." She started as the classroom door opened.

Iruka entered the room, looking a little worse for wear, a bandage visably wrapped around his forehead instead of his hitai-ate, and there was a clip-board in his bandaged hands. Following him were several shinobi and kunoichi, whom the genin could only assume were their soon-to-be jounin sensei's.

Iruka glanced around the room at each of his students, well, technically they weren't his students anymore. Hopefully he had prepared them well enough for what was to come. He caught the eye of a certain blond-haired genin and smiled encouragingly.

"Good morning everyone, I suppose you're all getting a bit impatient now so we'll just get on with the placing of the teams." He looked at the clip-board in his hands. "Team Ten will consist of…Ino Yamanaka…Shikamaru Nara…and Chouji Akimichi." A shrill complaint echoed from a corner of the room. "Your sensei is Asuma Sarutobi."

A tall man with short, black, spiked hair and brown eyes stepped forward. He wore the standard uniform of a Konoha shinobi, except his sleeves were rolled up half, a pair of black bangles and bandages were wrapped around the arms, and he wore a blue sash around his waist with the kanji for fire inside a white circle. He wore his hitai-ate in the traditional way around his forehead. Naruto instantly recognised him as the son of the Sandaime.

The shinobi in question rubbed his black beard before he spoke, "Team Ten, follow me."

Once the newly formed team had quitted the room, Iruka moved on to the next team on the list. "Team Nine is already on the field. Team Eight with consist of…Hinato Hyuuga…Kiba Inuzuka...and Shino Aburame. Your sensei is Kurenai Yuuhi."

A kunoichi stepped forward and every male in the room immediately admired her beauty. She had long, black, shoulder-length untamed hair, and wore make-up consisting of red lipstick. Unlike the other jounin, she didn't wear the traditional uniform. Instead, she wore a red, mesh armour blouse with only one sleeve, and over the top of this was a material resembling bandages with a pattern on it similar to rose thorns. On her hands and upper thighs were bandages, and she, like Asuma, wore her hitai-ate on her forehead. However, her most striking feature was her unusual red eyes. "Team Eight, if you would please follow me."

Iruka watched the jounin leave with her team before glancing back at the class. "Okay, Team Seven will consist of…Naruto Namikaze."

Naruto sat up straighter in his seat at the sound of his name and stared at Iruka intently.

"…Sakura Haruno."

Both genin stood up in their seats, crying out happily, both with similar thoughts; thanking Kami they were on the same team.

"…and Sasuke Uchiha."

Immediately their cries stopped and they sat down, slumping in their seats and groaning. Around the classroom Sasuke's fangirls were screaming in despair, while the last Uchiha looked less than pleased. _'Great, I'm stuck with the dobe and the weakling. How am I going to become strong enough to kill Itachi with those losers for team mates!' _

"Your sensei will be Kakashi Hatake." The newly formed team looked along the line of jounin curiously, but none of the ninja stepped forward. Iruka knowingly shook his head with a sigh. "Moving on…"

* * *

><p><em>-Two Hours Pass-<em>

The newly formed Team Seven were the only ninja remaining in the classroom, and there was still no sign of their sensei.

Naruto had resorted to pacing agitatedly, while Sasuke and Sakura remained in their seats. Over the course of the two hours, Sasuke had refused to speak to his new teammates, but of course they were not too eager to attempt to strike up a conversation with him either. Sakura had tried several times to speak to the Uchiha, but all she received was a _'hn' _in return, so she eventually gave up.

Naruto looked at the clock on the wall once more. His cry of frustration startled his two team mates.

"When's our sensei going to show up, dattebayo?! We've been waiting for hours!"

Sakura sighed, "Calm down, Naruto. He or she has probably just been held up, be patient." Although, the rosette was beginning to grow rather frustrated by the wait, too.

A _'tsk' _came from the Uchiha, and he said, "Just sit down and shut up, dobe."

"What'd you say, teme?!"

Just as an argument was about to ensue, the classroom door slid open. All three genin fell silent as they looked up in anticipation.

A male jounin entered the room, and what immediately caught the team's attention was his unusual, pale grey hair, which appeared to defy grafity, and the unsual placing of his hitai-ate; it was tilted to the left, covering his left eye. He also wore a navy mask which covered the lower-half of his face; as a result the newly appointed genins had no idea what their new new sensei really looked like. His attire consisted, simply, of the standard shinobi outfit, the sleeves rolled halfway up his forearms; on his hands he wore metal-plated fingerless gloves.

Kakashi raised his hand in greeting, "Sorry I'm late, a black cat crossed my path so I had to take the scenic route."

The classroom was suddenly so silent crickets could be heard chirping outside. The three genin stared incredulously at the jounin.

"WHA-A-AT?!"

Naruto and Sakura — the rosette had shot up from her seat, toppling the chair in the process — stormed towards the jounin, shouting various unintelligible things; the only words that could be made out were 'lies', 'liar' and 'late'. Sasuke, who had remained in his seat, simply stared at the three with a bored expression on his face, but to the trained eye it could be seen that his eyebrow was twitching in annoyance, and there were faint signs of a vein throbbing on his temple.

Kakashi sighing and folded an arm across his chest, placing a hand on his chin thoughtfully. "My first impressions of you three… You're idiots." All three genin sweat-dropped at his words. "Now, if you've finished complaining, follow me."

Naruto stared intently at the jounin before them. Kakashi had led them onto the roof of the academy, and the genin seated themselves on a row of steps facing their sensei; the shinobi leaned against the metal barrier on the edge of the roof. _'There's something familiar about him… Have I met him before?' _However, he couldn't seem to remember when or where he could have met this shinobi.

Kakashi cleared his throat, "Okay, why don't you introduce yourselves." He pointed at Sakura. "Let's start with you, Pinky."

A vein sprouted on Sakura's temple. '_Pinky?!_' In the confines of her mind, Inner Sakura wasn't all too pleased with the nickname either. But, she forced back her annoyance, and instead asked, "But what should we say, sensei?"

"Oh, I don't know… Likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams for the future."

Naruto spoke up, "Why don't you introduce yourself first, sensei." _'Maybe then I'll figure out why he seems so familiar.'_

The jounin in question sighed, "Me? Very well..." He folded his arms across his chest and looked up at the sky with his visible eye. "My name is Kakashi Hatake. I have no intention of telling you my likes and dislikes. Hobbies… I have a few. As for my dream… I haven't really thought about it."

Naruto and Sakura sweat-dropped at the jounin's words. _'The only thing he told us was his name…' _they thought simultaneously.

"Weren't you going to start, pinky?"

Sakura's eyebrow twitched at the use of the nickname, but, shrugging it off, she said, "My name is Sakura Haruno. I like training and spending time with my friends." The rosette smiled at Naruto, who grinned brightly in return. "I dislike bullys and people who make fun of my friends. My hobbies… I like reading." A look of determination settled in her eyes as she raised her fist, "And my dream is to surpass my father and become an ANBU Black Op, and become the strongest Kunoichi in the village, shannaro!"

Kakashi smiled approvingly under his mask. _'I thought girls her age would have been focused on boys, but this one appears to be focused on her career as a kunoichi. Promising…' _ He glanced towards the blond boy sitting beside her. "Now you, the idiot in the middle."

Naruto wisely chose to ignore the jibe; it wasn't the first time he had been called an idiot. Adjusting his hitai-ate as he spoke, he began, "My name is Naruto Namikaze. My hobbies are playing pranks and training. I like my friends, my family and ramen, and my dislikes are people who betray their friends and temes who think they're better than everyone else." He sent a pointed glare at Sasuke, which Kakashi noticed. The glare, however, was soon replaced by a wide grin, "And my dream is to surpass my father and become Hokage, the greatest Hokage Konoha had ever known!"

The grey-haired jounin nodded. It was the response he had expected, what else from the son of the Yondaime and Kushina Uzumaki. He glanced at the brooding Uchiha. _'It will be interesting to see what this one has to say.' _"And lastly you, Emo-boy."

Sasuke appeared to ignore his sensei's words, instead beginning his own introduction. He leaned both of his elbows on his knews, bringing his intwined hands to his face. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. There are many things that I hate, and there aren't a lot of things I like. And I don't have a dream, but an ambition; the revival of my clan, and to kill…a certain man."

Silence fell following Sasuke's words and each teammate had varying reactions. Naruto stared at the Uchiha, his arms folded across his chest. _'How the hell am I going to work with this guy? It's obvious he won't want to work with us… But, Mikoto-san would want us to try. We have to, for her.'_

At his words, Sakura felt a shiver run down her spine as she stared at Sasuke with wide eyes. _'What do those fan-girls see in him, seriously?_ _His ambition…to kill a certain man… It's a bit disturbing…'_

Kakashi, on the other hand, stared intently at the last Uchiha worriedly. _'It's just as I thought. This one's going to be trouble; I'll have to keep a close eye on him.'_ "Alright, you three all have unique personalities. I like that. We're going to begin a mission starting tomorrow." The three stared at him expectantly, two of the genin sharing the same curious expression.

Naruto was the first to speak. "What kind of mission, sensei?" He hadn't expected to be given a mission so early. Nonetheless, he felt a thrill of excitement by the thought.

"First, we're going to do something that we four can do." He paused, allowing the genin's anticipation to build up. "Survival training."

Naruto and Sakura shared a groan, while Sasuke voiced a _'hn'_. They had done survival training multiple times over their years at the academy. The twelve-year-olds hadn't expected to begin their lives as ninja with yet more survival training. The young Namikaze leaned on his elbows on his knees, placing his chin in his hand. "Survival training? You can't be serious…"

Sakura eyed her sensei suspiciously. There was something more to this, she was sure. "Why are we going to train when it's a mission? We had plenty of training at the academy."

Kakashi closed his one visible eye before replying, "This is no ordinary training."

"Then what kind of training is it?"

The jounin didn't reply, but began to laugh in an eery, creepy way, a laugh promising violence and horror. Each member of Team Seven, not excluding Sasuke, felt a shiver run up their spines, the hairs on the back of their necks standing on end in response to the sound.

Continuing to chuckle, Kakashi said, "Well, if I say this, I'm sure you three are going to be surprised." He suddenly fixes the three genin with a stern expression. "Out of the twenty-seven graduates, only nine are going to become genin. The other eighteen will be sent back to the academy. In other words, this training is going to be a very hard test with a drop out rate of sixty-six percent."

The reactions of the genin varied; Sakura stared at the jounin with wide eyes; Naruto gaped in shock, horror in his expression; Sasuke's forehead furrowed, his eyebrows coming together in a frown.

Kakashi smirked under his mask. "See? You three are surprised!"

Naruto stood, his hands shaking, agitation rolling off of him in waves. "No way! If over half of us aren't going to become genin, then what was the final exam for?!" There was no way he was going back to the academy. He had worked too hard for this!

"That?" The jounin shrugged. "It just picks out those who are qualified to become a genin." The twelve-year-olds are dumbfounded; they may have passed the graduation exam, but they aren't ninja yet.

Kakashi continued on, seemingly oblivious to his team's turmoil, "Anyway, I'm going to determine whether you pass or fail tomorrow. Meet me at the Third Training Ground; bring your ninja equipment and meet at 5:00 a.m sharp!"

Naruto stared at the ground, his hands balled into fists at his sides. _'I'm not going to get sent back to the academy. I won't let this beat me. I'm a Namikaze, dattebayo! I have to make him recognise my abilities!'_

Sakura's jade eyes hardened as she stared at her sensei. _'If I fail this test, I won't become an ANBU. I refuse to let Tou-chan's dream die! I have to become a kunoichi!'_

Sasuke remained in the same position, but he clenched his shaking hands together, his eyes filled with a steely determination.

Kakashi stood and turned away from the genin, "Now then, meeting over." He glanced over his shoulder. "Oh yeah, don't eat breakfast. You're going to throw up if you do." All three genin sweat-dropped. The survival training was sounding ever worse by the minute.

The jounin raised a hand to his head in a two-fingered salute in farewell, saying a quick, "Later," and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Suddenly, something clicked in Naruto's mind. That strange hair, and the mask… "I knew it!"

His exclamation startled his teammates, although Sakura was the only one who looked at him expectantly. The blond placed two hands behind his head. "I knew I recognised Kakashi-sensei! I remember meeting him a few times when I was little. He was a member of my father's genin team."

Sakura's eyes sparked with interest, "So, our sensei was taught by the Yondaime Hokage?" Naruto's words appeared to have captured Sasuke's attention also, as he glanced at the blond with some interest. "He must be pretty powerful if your father was his sensei."

Naruto shrugged, "I don't know, I didn't really talk to him much." He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "So, what should we do now?"

Sakura stood, swiping the dust from the back of her dress as she moved to stand beside her friend. "Maybe we could go get something to eat, does Ichiraku sound good?"

Naruto grinned widely at the thought of his favourite ramen stand, and he nodded enthusiastically. As they made to move away he glanced at Sasuke, noticing that the Uchiha was still seated on the step. A feeling of pity crept its way into the boy's chest; he knew Sasuke would probably kick his ass if he found out he was feeling sorry for him, but he couldn't help it. He had no family, unlike Naruto and Sakura, and he probably didn't have many, if any, friends. A smile formed itself upon his lips as he asked, "Hey, teme, do you want to come to Ichiraku with us?" The least he could do was try to get to know his new teammate.

Sasuke, however, stood from his seat and walked past the duo. "Yeah right, like I'd want to hang out with you losers." Without another word he disappeared down the stairs.

Naruto's blond eyebrow twitched in reaction his new teammate's response to the invitation. _'Teme…' _

Sakura frowned as she stared at the back of the retreating Uchiha, "What's his problem? I know he's an Uchiha but does he really have to act like he's better than us?" She walked towards the edge of the room and leaned back against the metal barrier, resting her hands upon it. "He could have at least come to Ichiraku with us, instead of just leaving like that." The rosette eyed Naruto curiously. "Since when have you wanted to be friends with Sasuke, anyway?"

Shrugging, he moved to stand beside her, leaning his fore-arms on the cool metal. The Namikaze's sapphire eyes gazed over the many buildings of Konoha, watching the villagers go about their business. "Well, we're going to be teammates for kami knows how long, so I thought we might as well get to know him. But, obviously, the teme isn't interested." He groaned. "Damn it, he's going to make teamwork hard, dattebayo! But, we have to try, Mikoto-san would have wanted us to try."

Sakura smiled at the blond's words; underneath his brashness and impulsive tendencies he really was a softy. But Naruto was right, Sasuke's mother would have wanted them to try to be his friends, especially now that they were on the same team.

'_**Even if he is a complete asshole?' **_

The rosette laughed inwardly at Inner Sakura's blunt words. _'Yeah, even if.' _A playful smirk formed on the corner of her lips as she stole a glance at her companion, "So, I take it you don't plan on being his rival anymore?"

Naruto's reaction to her words was just as she expected.

"I'll never let that teme beat me! I'll prove to him who's the best shinobi, even if it means being his rival for the rest of our lives, dattebayo!"

Sakura laughed as he continued to rant; for some reason, the two boys had tried to best each other in everything pertaining to being a shinobi since they first started the academy, from taijutsu to ninjutsu to weaponry. So far, they have been tied in all skills, neither appearing to be stronger than the other. _'They'll never give up until someone gives in.'_ Although she was happy to be on Naruto's team, she had a feeling that she was going to have to be the one to keep him and Sasuke in line.

Pulling herself from her thoughts, she sweat-dropped when she realised that Naruto was still boasting about how he was going to be better Sasuke. With an exasberated sigh, she struck the top of his head with a fist.

The boy yelped, rubbing the now sore spot on his skull. He glared at the rosette, "I think you just killed some of my brain cells, Sakura-chan…"

Sakura ignored him, instead moving towards the stairs. "Stop ranting and come on already, I'm starving." She turned to say something more, only to pause when she saw that he was standing on top of the railing. "What are you doing?"

Naruto grinned brightly, "Stairs are lame, and I'm a shinobi now; rooftops are more my style. I'll race you! Whoever gets there first has to buy the winner as many bowls of ramen they want." He chuckled mischievously. There was no way Sakura was going to beat him in a test of speed.

The rosette paled at the thought of losing to Naruto. _'Naruto eats an average of eleven bowls of ramen every time we go to Ichiraku, I can't afford that! No way, there's no way in hell I'm losing, shannaro!' _Without a second thought, she forced chakra to the soles of her feet as she jumped up onto the railing beside the blond and pushed off hard.

She landed lightly on the roof of a building opposite the academy. Looking back with an amused expression, she saw that Naruto was watching her in disbelief. She laughed as she ran across the rooftop. "I hope you have Gama-chan with you, Naruto," she sang, "You're going to need him!"

The Namikaze watched with a blush across his whiskered cheeks as his crush sped across the rooftops. His heart pounded wildly and his stomach performed several backflips. The sight of Sakura leaping through the air — the sunlight caressing her skin, the wind whipping her pink locks from her face, a wide confident smile upon her lips — was enchanting.

After a moment he realised that she had got ahead of him in their one-on-one race, and he quickly leapt off of the rooftop, following Sakura's trail, fearing that his precious Gama-chan would soon become considerably lighter. "Hey, that's not fair! You got a head start, dattebayo!" The only response he received was a peal of laughter.

* * *

><p>The alarm clock blared loudly in Naruto's ear before he summoned the energy to lift a fist to turn it off. With bleary eyes his sapphire orbs glanced at the time, which read 4:35 a.m. With a groan the boy rolled off of the mattress and proceeded to dress himself sleepily. "Damn Kakashi-sensei… It's too early…"<p>

Carrying his jacket, the young Namikaze shuffled down the hallway, rubbing his eyes as he stepped down off the top step of the stairs. However, he stepped into thin air, missing a step. His tired eyes widened and he yelped as he tumbled down the stairs, landing at the bottom in a heap.

Sitting up, Naruto rubbed his head, now wide awake. "This really isn't going to be my day, is it?" he muttered irritatedly.

"Naruto-niichan?"

Turning, the blond spotted his imouto staring at him tiredly from the top of the stairs. Her deep red locks were in a tangled mess on top of her head; one eyebrow twitched ominously as she spoke, "What in Kami's name are you doing?"

Naruto stood, walking towards the door, before answering, "I have to go to train with my team and Kakashi-sensei; he wants us to meet at 5:00 a.m…." He groaned. "That teme-sensei! Why didn't he make us wait until later, dattebayo!"

"Shut up, Naru-baka! You'll wake Tou-chan and Kaa-chan!" She sighed tiredly, folding her arms. "I'll never sleep at this rate…" She paused, glancing at Naruto quizically, "Wait, aren't you going to eat breakfast before you go?"

Her brother shook his head, "No, Kakashi-sensei told us not to eat anything because we'd throw up."

Again she sighed, face-palming in the process. "Kami, you really are an idiot." Akari cut him off before he could protest. "He's obviously trying to weaken you. By skipping a meal, you will tire quickly, you won't have as much stamina as you usually do, and so on. So just eat something, and please, _please _try to be quiet? I'm going back to bed…"

Naruto was dumbfounded. He struggled to contain an exclamation, not wanting to wake his parents, especially his mother. Waking Kushina too early was like asking for a death wish.

How could a ten-year-old academy student figure it out before him, a genin? If Sasuke found out about this, he would never hear the end of it…

Although, now that he thought about it, Akari was right. Glancing at the clock, which now read 4:55 a.m, he hurried to the kitchen. _'Hopefully Kakashi-sensei won't mind if I'm a little late.'_

* * *

><p><em>-Thirty Minutes Pass-<em>

Sakura yawned widely as she sat against one of the three wooden stumps embedded into the Third Training Ground. The sun was rising over Konoha, bathing the trees and distant buildings in a warm orange glow. Bird song seranaded through the trees. The sound of running water from the river which ran alongside the training ground was soothing; the morning air was still chill, stinging her cheeks. She glanced at the entrance of the training grounds. There was still no sign of Kakashi, nor Naruto.

The rosette sighed once more. _'Naruto must have slept late.' _She hoped he would arrive soon, though; this silence was making her feel awkward and uncomfortable.

She looked up, watching Sasuke, who was standing against the second of the three stumps, eyes closed, hands in his pockets. Several times Sakura had attempted to strike up a conversation with the brooding Uchiha, but all she received in return was silence, or a grunt if she was lucky.

Not to mention she was tired, she was hungry, and spending the past forty-five minutes with a broody Sasuke just made her morning worse. To top it all, she was dreading the survival test. Her stomach twisted nervously as several thoughts flashed through her mind.

What sort of survival test was it? What was Kakashi going to make them do? Would they fail? Would _she_ fail?

If she failed she would be sent back to the academy, or maybe Kakashi would stop her from becoming a kunoichi, period! Then she would never become an ANBU Black Op, nor would she become the strongest kunoichi in the village; she would be forced to watch from the sidelines as others protected the village. Her father's dream would never be fulfilled.

Sakura shook her head quickly, slapping her cheeks. No! She shouldn't think that way. She couldn't quit before they had even begun. She had to try.

"Sorry I'm late!"

She looked up, spotting Naruto running towards them. As he grew closer, Sakura couldn't help but admire how much his new attire suited him. It made him look more like a shinobi than that horrible orange jumpsuit. Silently she thanked Kami, and Kushina, that he had the sense to get not choose yet another outfit of the same abnormally bright colour…

The boy paused before them, bowing over to catch his breath. He quickly noticed that Kakashi hadn't arrived yet. _'Thank Kami,' _he thought. _'At least he won't know I was late.' _Naruto straightened and pulled two apples from his pouch, holding them out to both teammates. "Here, eat these. I'm guessing neither of you ate anything this morning."

Sakura sighed, face-palming. "Naruto, Kakashi-sensei told us _not _to eat breakfast or else we'd throw up, so I'm not taking the chance." Sasuke, surprisingly, nodded in agreement.

Naruto gave a small smile, _'I guess I'm not the only one who didn't figure it out.' _At least now if they _did _find out that it was Akari who had told him about it, they couldn't exactly hold it against him."But he was tricking us! By skipping a meal, we'll tire quickly, we won't have the stamina to do a lot a jutsus, and lots of other stuff. So just eat the damn apple, dattebayo." He tossed the fruit to both teammates, who caught them easily. The blond noticed that they were staring at him with mild surprise. "What?"

Sasuke simply grunted but reluctantly bit into the apple after a moment's hesitation. Sakura gave a small smile, replying a quiet, "Nothing," before also biting into the fruit eagerly.

Naruto grinned, moving towards the third stump and sitting down against it, folding his legs. He glanced at the rising sun and sighed. He had a feeling it was going to be some time before Kakashi appeared.

* * *

><p><em>-5 Hours Pass-<em>

"I'll kill him! I'm going to kill that damn Kakashi-sensei!"

The aggravated Namikaze stomped back and forth before his teammates, who were both just as frustrated as he, though not as verbally so.

"Five hours! Five _freaking _hours! Are you kidding me? Two hours was pushing it, but this is ridiculous!"

Before his teammates — namely Sakura — could attempt to calm the raging blond, the jounin in question appeared in a puff of smoke. The grey-haired shinobi raised a hand in greeting. "Yo!" He said cherrily.

Two of the irritated team mates erupted, "YOU'RE LATE!"

"An old woman needed help with her groceries…"

The three genin stare at him, less than amused. Kakashi coughed into his fist, "Let's move on." Moving to one of the stumps, he set an alarm clock on top of it. "The alarm is set at twelve o'clock." The jounin glances at his possible students, who were eyeing him intently, and held up two silver bells, both on strings. The bells made a light jingle as they swayed, moved by the slight breeze. "Today's topic is to get one of these bells from me. Whoever can't will have no lunch, I will tie you there," he pointed to one of the stumps, "and eat lunch in front of you."

Naruto sighed, relieved that his sister had been there to tell him Kakashi's true motives. His teammates, while surprised that the young Namikaze had actually figured it out, were silently thanking him.

Kakashi, however, was surprised by the lack of reaction from the genin. He had at least expected expressions of despair or dread, not these masks of calm. Under his mask he smirked. _'Maybe these three will give me more of a challenge than I thought.'_

Sakura spoke as she examined the two bells in the jounin's hand, "Wait, why are there only two bells? There's three of us."

Kakashi attached the objects to his pants, replying as he did so, "Since there are only two, at least one person will have to be tied to the log. That person will fail since he, or she, failed to complete the mission, and will go back to the academy." The three genin, while startled by the news, gained a new expression of determination. "It might be just one, or all three. You can use your weapons to fight me. You won't be able to get these bells unless you have the will to kill me." Naruto swallowed forcefully, his teammates having similar reactions to their sensei's words. "When I say 'Start', we will begin."

Team Seven get into defensive positions, crouching slightly, watching every move Kakashi made carefully. When Kakashi shouted out the magic word which told them the test had begun, the three genin leaped away, disappearing from his sight. Kakashi nodded, _'Good choice.'_

* * *

><p>High in a tree at the edge of the training ground, Naruto crouched low on a branch, obscuring himself from sight, attempting to mask his chakra signature. One of the first lessons they were taught at the academy, was to conceal yourself and assess your enemy before attacking. Of course, the blond had never been fond of this particular lesson, prefering to charge head first into battle.<p>

But this time was different. This test would determine whether or not he became a true Genin. He has to pass!

Naruto closely examined his sensei, and sweat-dropped.

Kakashi didn't even look like he was readying himself for an attack. He was simply standing in the open with a little orange book in his hands, a light blush across what could be seen of his face. The young Namikaze face-palmed as he instantly recognised the book as one of Jiraiya's perverted Icha Icha novels. _'Great, I have a pervert for a sensei.' _

Focusing back on the situation at hand, Naruto attempted to come up with a plan of attack. _'I could attack him head on and use my clones to overwhelm him...'_

However, he could already find flaws in that plan. Again and again he shot down each idea. This guy was a jounin, there was no way he would succumb to such simple attacks!

He couldn't defeat him and get the bells alone.

Discretely, Naruto leaped away from his post in the tall tree, reached out and searching with his chakra. He needed to find his teammates.

* * *

><p>In the training ground below, Kakashi glanced at one of the trees as he felt the faint chakra signature move towards the other two barely detectable chakra signatures hidden in the bushes and trees. He smiled faintly beneath his mask. <em>'Now they're getting it.'<em>

* * *

><p>Sakura crouched low in the bushes, the foliage carefully concealing her body from the sight of her sensei. The twelve-year-old wracked her brain, searching for a plan to take down Kakashi. She frowned as she eyed the jounin from her hiding spot. There had to be a hidden motive to the test, a hidden meaning they had to figure out…<p>

"Sakura-chan?"

The rosette yelped, startled, swinging her fist in the direction of the voice. Her hand connected with the cheek of her attacker, and he let out a cry of surprise.

"Why-y-y-y, Sakura-chan?" he whined dramatically.

Sakura blinked several times, staring at her blond friend, "Naruto?" She moved to sit beside the boy, who was rubbing his now red cheek with a pout on his lips. "Sorry, but what do you expect when you sneak up on me like that, baka!"

"How was I supposed to know you would hit me!" The young Namikaze sighed, folding his arms across his chest. "Anyway, do you have any ideas about how to take the bells from Kakashi-sensei?" When the girl shook her head, responding in the negative, Naruto scratched his blond locks in thought. "Neither could I… Any strategy I came up with was doomed to fail. Its impossible for inexperienced genins like us to take on a jounin alone, even though I hate to admit it, dattebayo…" he grumbled, dejectedly.

Sakura frowned, "So what are we supposed to do?"

With a smirk, Naruto said, "We have to work together and take him down as a team. Tou-chan always said that while a ninja working alone is a powerful opponent, a team working together can be an unstoppable force."

"So, if we work as a team, we'll be able to take him down!" Sakura concluded excitedly.

Naruto nodded, satisfied with their discovery. "Now we just have to find Sasuke-teme and let him in on the plan."

* * *

><p>The Uchiha in question, like Naruto had been, was crouched low on a tree branch, concealing himself behind the trunk, but just enough to still have Kakashi in his sights. He had come up with several strategies to take down the jounin. This was his chance to reveal to power of an Uchiha! He just had to wait for the right moment to strike.<p>

Suddenly, he sensed the chakra of his two teammates, looking to the side to find them both standing on his perch. He frowned in annoyance, "What do you two idiots want?"

Ignoring the jibe, Naruto stepped forward to address the clearly irritated Uchiha heir, "Sakura and I think we should work as a team to take the bells from Kakashi-sensei."

Sakura nodded, and said, "Face it, Sasuke, if we work alone there's no way we can take on a jounin. If we don't work as a team we'll get sent back to the academy. So, will you help us?"

The Uchiha merely '_hn'd'_ and turned away from the duo. "Like I'd work with you losers. You would just slow me down." He leaped away from his teammates before they could protest.

Naruto growled, "That teme…!" With a sigh he looked at his remaining pink-haired teammate. "I guess we're going to have to do this without him."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Kakashi remained in the middle of the training ground, occasionally giggling pervertedly as he read his beloved book. Suddenly sensing a chakra signature, the jounin glanced up only to find Sasuke standing several metres before him.<p>

The Uchiha heir glared at his sensei and moved himself into at offensive stance. Kakashi sighed, remaining in a relaxed stance and returned his one visible eye to the book in his hand. _'Naruto and Sakura haven't moved from their spots from what I can sense. So, this one is going to take me on alone… Either he's confident in his abilities or he prefers not to rely on others… I'm going to assume the latter.' _Staring at the genin, he said, "Are you sure that it's wise to try to take these bells from me alone? You're only a genin, what chance do you have against me?"

Sasuke growled in response and threw several shuriken at the silver-haired jounin, who dodged the attack rather easily

Kakashi, rather disappointed, stated, "There's no use in just using normal attacks."

However, rather than reacting with frustration as Kakashi had expected, Sasuke smirked. He threw another shuriken. The jounin, who had skidded to a stop, followed the direction of the small weapon, watching as it sliced through a carefully concealed rope in the trees. _'A trap?' _he thought curiously. His question was answered when he instictively dodged several kunai knives which had seemingly appeared from nowhere. As Kakashi dodged the trap, Sasuke suddenly appeared behind the jounin.

Surprise spread across what could be seen of Kakashi's face as he placed his book in his weapons pouch and twisted around to block a kick from his potential student. He quickly grasped Sasuke's leg with his available hand. However, Sasuke would not be so easily beaten as he swung a fist towards Kakashi. The jounin caught the offending fist with his other hand. Sasuke in response twisted upside down, attempting to kick his sensei once more only to be once again blocked.

The Uchiha smirked, realising the advantage of his current position, and moved to grab the bells.

As Kakashi noticed the actions of the genin he quickly threw him back and leaped out of his reach, ensuring the bells were not taken.

Both shinobi move out of their offensive and defensive stances, each eyeing the other carefully. Kakashi chuckled, still mildly surprised from Sasuke's display of skill, and said, "I'll admit, you're different."

Not reacting to the words of his sensei, Sasuke quickly formed several hand signs, ending with a tiger seal. He gathered the needed chakra, forcing it into his throat, visualising the chakra heating rapidly. "_Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!_" he cried out, breathing deeply.

Kakashi visible eye widened in shock as he exclaimed, "What? A genin shouldn't be able to do that jutsu! He shouldn't have enough chakra!"

A large ball of fire erupted from Sasuke's mouth and hurtled towards Kakashi. As the fireball struck the spot where Kakashi was standing, the explosion created a smoking crater where the jounin had been. The smoke disintigrated, but there was no sign of Kakashi.

Sasuke gritted his teeth, shifting into a defensive stance. "Where is he?" He glanced around, examining the trees and bushes, and looked upwards in preparation for an attack from above. _'Is he behind me? No, above? Where is he?!'_

Suddenly, the genin felt a tremor beneath his feet and a voice echoed from below him.

"Beneath you."

Sasuke's eyes widened in horror as a hand burst out of the ground and grabbed his leg.

"_Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu_!"

The young Uchicha cried out as he was pulled down towards the ground, his body passing through the earth.

The dust slowly cleared, revealing a disgruntled Sasuke, his body from the neck down buried in the ground.

Kakashi, now visible, crouched in front of him with what appeared to be an amused expression. "This is the third ninja tactics know-how, Ninjutsu. How is it? Can't move, right?" Sasuke looked away with a frown. "It looks like your talents are exceptional. But..." He stood, pulling out his Icha Icha novel. "They say the nail that sticks up is the one that gets hammered down."

Sasuke cursed as Kakashi disappeared, "Damn it!"

Meanwhile, his two teammates crouched in a tree from which they had observed the fight. Both where impressed by Sasuke's show of skill, and where intimidated by Kakashi's obvious battle experience. Sakura's eyebrows came together in a small frown as she watched the Uchiha struggle in vain to free himself. "Shouldn't we help him?"

Naruto however, laughed, placing his arms behind him head. "Nope, it's great seeing him with his sorry ass kicked for once. I say we leave him there for a while longer, dattebayo!" He chuckled, a wide grin across his whisker-marked face.

Sakura scowled, folding her arms across her chest, as she stared at her friend disapprovingly. "Naruto…"

The young Namikaze rolled his eyes at his crush. "Fine, fine. Let's help the teme. He's not going to like it though, dattebayo…" The two leaped down from their perch, landing lightly on the ground below with low thuds.

Sasuke glanced over towards at the sound and '_tsked'. _"What do you losers want?"

His rosette teammate smiled shyly, "Well, you look like you could use a little help, so we thought—"

The disgruntled Uchiha interrupted with a frown and glared at the duo, "You thought you could help me? As if I would need help from the likes of you idiots. I don't need help."

Naruto glanced at Sakura pointedly, one eyebrow raised, with a look that said, _'I told you so_,' and sighed. He crouched before Sasuke's head with a determined expression. "Listen, teme, if you don't want to lose that" — Naruto flicked the Uchiha's hitai-ate to deliberately irritate the genin — "we have to work together. It's almost noon, we have about an hour left to get those damned bells. We need to plan a strategy to get them. So, do you want to be a shinobi or do you want to go back to the academy like a loser, dattebayo!"

That had clearly riled up Sasuke; he growled, his gaze sharpening as he struggled with further vigor. Finally he sighed, not looking at his teammates as he spoke. "Could you…help me?" To Naruto and Sakura it sounded like it pained him to speak those words.

The duo nodded and started digging.

* * *

><p>Kakashi stood in the middle of the training grounds reading Icha Icha Paradise. With a sigh he glanced at the alarm clock that was still sitting on the stump. It read 11:30 am. The genin were running of time. He supposed he might have to fail another yet team.<p>

Suddenly, he sensed two chakra signatures and turned to see Naruto and Sakura charging him, fists and kunai at the ready.

Naruto reached him first, using his momentum to leap into the air and swing with his leg towards Kakashi's head. The jounin ducked, dodging the strike, only to came face to face with Sakura, who was close enough to strike him a blow to his side with her kunai. He quickly dodged again, backflipping away from the two genin. Before he could even pause to gather his thoughts he heard a voice cry out from behind him.

"_Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!_"

He moved just in time, a large ball of fire striking the spot where he had been standing merely a few seconds before hand. However, the fire continued forwards, striking Naruto and Sakura.

Kakashi looked on in shock and horror as the two genin screamed in pain. Placing his book in his back pouch, he looked at Sasuke with fury, preparing himself to launch on the trecherous genin. However, before he could do so, he turned back to Naruto and Sakura as he heard two loud _'poofs'._

The fireball created by Sasuke had dissipated, and where the scorched bodies of the genin had been where two puffs of white smoke.

Kakashi's one visible eye widened. _'Kage Bunshins?!'_

The jounin suddenly lurched forward as he was struck by a body from behind. He glanced back to see Naruto holding tightly onto Kakashi's torso, pinning his arms. Two clones where holding onto both of his legs, immobilising him.

Naruto looked up at his teammate and shouted out, "Now, Sasuke!"

Sasuke charged forward with a cry, launching at the jounin with a flurry of strikes. However, before he could land a hit, Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving a log in his place. Sasuke halted his assault while Naruto dropped the log and dispelled his clones.

Kakashi stood several metres away, looking at the genin with a hint of amusement and some pride. _'Now they're getting it.' _He chuckled, deciding to taunt the two headstrong twelve-year-olds. "Is that the best you can do? I'm sure you two can do better than that."

Without a response, the two genin again charged Kakashi from different angles. They hit him with various strikes, but no matter how many times they tried, Kakashi blocked every single hit. They were furious in their attacks, never faltering or hesitating. Kakashi gathered that their strikes were fairly strong for genin. With the right training they could become formidable foes.

Suddenly, for no apparent reason, Naruto and Sasuke halted their attack and leaped away from their sensei, folding their arms across their chests. Kakashi, though puzzled, shook his head and said, "You have only five minutes left, I suggest that if you want these bells you keep trying to take them."

"Sorry, Kakashi-sensei, it's a bit too late for that."

Kakashi turned at the sound of the young feminine voice, to find Sakura grinning triumphantly. The rosette held up the two silver bells grasped in her hand, a wide grin upon her face. The jounin blinked, startled, and quickly patted his side.

The bells were gone.

Beneath his mask, the grey-haired shinobi smirked and asked simply, "How?"

Naruto and Sasuke approached them, both smirking. Naruto placed his hands behind his head, grinning widely. "I figured out we couldn't beat you and get the bells alone; you're a jounin, you'd kick our asses in a heartbeat. So I found Sakura-chan and filled her in, but when we told Sasuke the teme thought he was too good to team up with us." Sasuke gave a _'hn' _in response. "When he got his ass handed to him by you he agreed to team up with us."

"Only because you two wouldn't stop pestering me," the proud Uchiha stated.

Just as Naruto was about to argue, Sakura interrupted with a cough. "Anyway, we decided that we should try to distract you to get the bells. So, Naruto made two clones and one of them transformed to look like me. The clones would do a frontal assault to distract you while Sasuke snuck behind you and used his fireball jutsu. We knew that you would dodge it though so the attack would instead hit the clones; we hoped that you would still think that they were me and Naruto. While you were still in shock from our 'deaths', Naruto made two more clones and all three tried to immobilise you while Sasuke attacked. However, while you were occupied with Naruto and Sasuke, I attempted to get the bells by concealling my chakra and sneaking up to your side while you were distracted."

She sighed. "But, you did a substitution before I could even touch them. So we put into effect Plan B. Sasuke and Naruto, being stronger than me in taijutsu, would attack you with various attacks, not giving you the chance to dodge, while I took the bells from behind." The rosette giggled. "I suppose we did well, huh, Kakashi-sensei?"

Before Kakashi could agree or disagree, Naruto interrupted his thoughts, stepping forward towards Sakura. "But what about the bells? There's two bells but there's only three of us! Does that…does that mean one of us is getting sent back to the academy?" the blond boy asked, disheartened.

Kakashi, chuckling, decided to put the three genin out of their misery. "What did you three learn during this test?"

Naruto looked at his teammates before exclaiming with a laugh, "That you're super strong, dattebayo!"

His rosette teammate slapped him across the back of his head and folded her arms across her chest with an expression that was a mixture of annoyance and amusement. "No, baka, we learned that we have to work as a team."

"We're a three-man team, we have to work together to take down our enemy," Sasuke said, much to the surprise of his two teammates.

Sakura nodded, a small smile of triumph on her lips as she looked at Kakashi. "Yeah, we three are one!" Naruto, grinned a foxy grin, bobbing his head in agreement.

Kakashi smirked beneath his mask, walking closer to the team, "You three are one, eh?" He examined the suddenly apprehensive twelve-year-olds closely, before giving a one-eyed smile. "You pass!" They blinked in surprise. "You pass." Kakashi repeated.

Sakura smiled, "We pass? Thank kami we got the bells in time…"

Kakashin shook his head, disagreeing, "No, the bells don't matter." The statement quickly caught the attention of the genin. They could clearly see that he was smiling beneath the mask. "The objective of the test was not to do what I told to do and try to get the bells, but to work together as a team and not individually. You three are the first team I have passed. The people I had previously were blockheads who just listened to what I said." All pleasure left his voice as the jounin grew serious. "'Shinobi need to think beyond the normal.' In the world of shinobi, those who break the rules are called scum. But those who don't take care of their friends are even worse than scum."

As a breeze sweeps through the training ground, bringing with it leaves from the surrounding trees, traces of tears gathered in the corner of Sakura's eyes; Naruto grinned broadly and cheered; Sasuke gave a small smile.

Kakashi continued, "The training ends here. Everyone passes. Team Seven will start doing missions tomorrow!"

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I've decided not to put a time on how long I will take to put chapters up, but I've got plenty of time to write now that its summer! I hope you all like Naruto's new outfit haha! If not… oh well haha. So, thanks all for reading <strong>** Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon.**

**BlueEyedBabyy**


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